Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees or shrubs.

Stems: Branches usually quadrangular, sometimes spinose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite and decussate (pairs of leaves alternating 90 degrees between nodes), ternate, or verticillate. Blades usually with a pair of prominent extrafloral nectary glands at base. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in indeterminate, simple or few–branched, axillary or terminal, racemose or spicate inflorescences. Flowers bisexual (perfect); each flower subtended by a usually minute bract. Calyx actinomorphic or slightly irregular, tubular, entire or 5-toothed, thin, accrescent. Corolla nearly actinomorphic, usually yellow or white, sometimes blue, violet, or lilac, funnelform or salverform, (4)5(6)-lobed, the lobes slightly irregular, imbricate. Stamens 4, usually in 2 pairs, inserted at or above middle of corolla tube, sometimes with an additional staminode, occasionally fertile Stamens 5–6; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior; styles terminal; stigma shortly 2-lobed; ovary superior, 4-celled, placentation axile; ovules 1 per cell, attached laterally, erect, anatropous.

Fruit: Fruit drupaceous; splitting into 2 2–celled pyrenes; exocarp juicy; endocarp hard. Seeds 2 per pyrene.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

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