Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees or shrubs, evergreen and slow growing.

Stems: Nodes often swollen.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (even-pinnate). Opposite, sometimes crowded on short lateral branchlets. Leaflets 2–14, sessile, base usually unequal; petiolules absent or nearly so. leaflets elliptic to linear–oblong, linear–spatulate, obliquely oblong, or obovate [ovate], somewhat unequal in size, basal and middle [apical] pairs largest, base oblique, apex obtuse or rounded [acute or retuse] and mucronate. Apex acute to acuminate, usually mucronulate, sometimes spinescent. Surfaces glabrous to glabrate; Blades membranous, subcoriaceous or coriaceous. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules minute, deciduous.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences in axillary clusters of 1 to several flowers near branch tips. Flowers usually bisexual (perfect), stalked, showy and fragrant; slightly irregular by twisting of petals. Calyx of 4–5 sepals; sepals overlapping, deciduous, slightly connate basally, green, unequal, margins undifferentiated, apex obtuse, hairy. Corolla of 4–5 petals; petals blue to lavender (rarely white), base ± clawed; persistent, imbricate, spreading, twisted, drying yellow, obovate to elliptic, apex rounded to lobed or notched; nectary annular. Stamens 8–10, inserted on low disc, ±equal; filaments free, base appendaged subulate or base slightly winged, sometimes with small basal scale; anthers sagittate or cordate. Ovary superior, 2–5-lobed, glabrous or hairy; on a short stalk, 2–5-locular; ovules 8–10 per locule; style persisting, forming beak on fruit; stigma minute.

Fruit: Dehiscent capsules; 2–5-lobed or –winged; orange to red; leathery; smooth becoming greenish yellow to bright orange [–brown]; obovoid to obcordiform; flattened; 2–5-lobed; 2–5–winged; base narrowed into short stalk; broadest apically; coriaceous; smooth or reticulate; septicidally dehiscent. Seeds 1 per lobe (or absent by abortion); 1–5 maturing per fruit; yellowish brown; brown; or black; ellipsoid to ovoid; surrounded by thick fleshy red aril.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

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