Shrubs, glabrous or juvenile parts with vermillion-red stellate hairs. Leaves opposite and
alternate, petiolate or sessile; major venation curvipinnate. Inflorescence a capitulum, axillary
or ramiflorous; involucral bracts 4 or 5, ovate, free or connate, enclosing a cluster of 3 or 4
flowers; flower buds ventricose. Flowers ebracteolate, actinomorphic, 5-merous, sympetalous,
covered with stellate or anvil hairs. Calyculus-tube entire or lobed. Petals 5, united; tube
straight, ventricose, divided halfway; lobes 5, linear, reflexed after anthesis. Stamens 5, erect or
recurved; filaments flat or tetragonous; anthers anisothecate, circumthecate or not, elevatilobate,
with or without sterile apex. Ovary subglobose, smooth; style 4-gonous; stigma conical or
subglobose. Fruits pseudocarps, hidden by persistent bracts, smooth. Endosperm horned,
mamillate.
India, Myanmar to Malesia, 5 species; 3 in India.
KEY TO THE SPECIES
1a. Involucral bracts 4, free; peduncles 2 or 3 in each axil; corolla not transversely ridged; stamens
recurved; anthers without sterile apex; stigma conical-capitate
b. Bark fissured; lenticels transversely elongated; young branches and leaves cov-ered with
vermillion-red stellate hairs; leaves sessile or subsessile, amplexicaule at base; inflorescence
usually ramiflorous; flower buds with truncate apex; flowers with faint sinuate thickenings;
calyculus 5-lobed; corolla-lobes lunately humped dorsally; filaments terete