Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees or shrubs, sometimes lianas, rarely mangroves, sometimes spinescent.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, opposite, or occasionally whorled. Base of blade often with 2 flask-shaped cavities. Margins entire. Petiolate, petiole or base of blade often with 2 circular to elliptic and flat structures or flask-shaped nectariferous cavities. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers actinomorphic or sometimes slightly irregular, in terminal and axillary racemes, spikes, or heads; perianth usually of 2 series, the parts connate to form a hypanthium. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or rarely unisexual. Calyx 4–5(–8)-lobed, usually appearing as lobes on the hypanthium, persistent, sometimes greatly reduced. Corolla of (0)4–5(–8), small, alternate with the sepals. Stamens usually twice as many as sepals, those of outer or upper series sometimes reduced or absent, rarely Stamens in 3 whorls; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, 2–5-carpellate, 1-celled; ovules 2(–6), pendulous on an elongate slender funiculus from apex of ovary, anatropous; style 1, terminal and elongate; stigma indistinguishable from style or capitate.

Fruit: Fruit drupaceous; usually leathery; with an aerenchymatous mesocarp; occasionally fleshy; usually indehiscent and often adapted to water dispersal; usually ribbed; the ribs as many as sepals and sometimes elongated into conspicuous wings; rarely fruit a dehiscent capsules. Seeds 1 per fruit; endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: