Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs, small trees, lianas, or occasionally subshrubs or rhizomatous perennial herbs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite or sometimes whorled or alternate. Margins dentate or sometimes lobed. Petioles present or absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in complicated corymbose or paniculate inflorescences basically composed of cymes. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or unisexual (and then plants apparently functionally dioecious), actinomorphic. Calyx of 4–5(–12) sepals; sepals valvate or imbricate. Corolla of 4–5(–12), valvate, imbricate, or convolute. Stamens 4 to numerous in multiples of the number of petals; filaments distinct or slightly connate at base. Ovary partly or completely inferior, rarely superior, (2)3–5(–12)-carpellate, with as many cells or sometimes 1-celled with intruded parietal placentas, placentation axile or parietal; ovules 1 to numerous per placenta, anatropous; styles as many as carpels, distinct or connate at base; stigmatic throughout most of their length, occasionally only 1 with distinct stigmas or a lobed stigma; stigma papillate.

Fruit: Septicidal or loculicidal capsules; sometimes a berry. Seeds with fleshy endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: