Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees, shrubs, lianas, or occasionally annual or perennial herbs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite and decussate (pairs of leaves alternating 90 degrees between nodes) or rarely alternate by suppression of 1 leaf per node. Stipules present.

Flowers: Flowers in various kinds of basically cymose inflorescences, rarely solitary. Flowers insect-pollinated, bisexual (perfect) or rarely unisexual, often heterostylous. Calyx 4-5-lobed with open aestivation, the lobes usually small, rudimentary, or absent, occasionally 1 or more enlarged and brightly colored. Corolla actinomorphic, rarely irregular or zygomorphic and bilabiate, (3)4-5(8-10)-lobed, the lobes valvate, imbricate, or convolute; nectary disk usually present. Stamens as many as and alternate with the corolla lobes; filaments usually inserted on the corolla tube or throat; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, occasionally partly so, or very rarely superior, 2(-5)-carpellate, with as many cells, rarely 1-celled; ovules 1 to numerous per cell, placentation axile, basal, apical, or rarely parietal, anatropous to hemitropous, usually with a funicular obturator and a massive single integument; style 1 or as many as carpels, terminal, slender; stigmas lobed or capitate, dry or occasionally wet.

Fruit: Capsules; berry; drupe; or a dry and indehiscent schizocarp; sometimes dicoccous. Seeds with well-developed oily endosperm; or endosperm occasionally scanty or absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: