Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees or shrubs, sometimes woody vines or perennial herbs, secretory canals present in most parts.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (pinnately or palmately compound), or simple (juvenile leaves often heteroblastic). Alternate, opposite (in Cheirodendron), or rarely whorled, usually crowded toward the ends of the branches. Petioles base often broad and sheathing the stem. Stipules absent or forming a ligule or membranous border of the petiole.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal or pseudoaxillary (due to growth extension from an axillary bud), umbellate, compound–umbellate, racemose, racemose–umbellate, or racemose–paniculate inflorescences, the ultimate units umbellules or heads, occasionally racemules or spicules. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or unisexual (and then plants andromonoecious or dioecious), usually actinomorphic. Pedicels often jointed below the ovary. Calyx absent or consisting of 5 small teeth. Corolla of (3–)5(–20), distinct or connate, valvate or rarely imbricate. Stamens usually as many as and alternate with the petals, sometimes numerous, distinct, inserted at the edge of the epigynous nectary disk. Ovary inferior (in some Tetraplasandra secondarily half inferior to superior), 2–5(to many)-carpellate, carpels connate (rarely pseudomonomerous), with as many cells; ovules pendulous, 2 per cell, 1 abortive; styles as many as carpels, distinct or variously connate into a stylopodium.

Fruit: Drupes or berries; rarely schizocarps; exocarp fleshy; pyrenes cartilaginous or membranous; often laterally compressed. Seeds 1 per pyrene; embryo small.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: