Trees, usually lofty buttressed; wood very hard; bark black, grey or brownish red;
branchlets lepidote. Leaves alternate, unifoliolate or digitate, chartaceous or coriaceous, usually glabrous or rarely scaly when young above, adpressed fimbriate scaly
beneath, pinnately nerved, pseudopeltate; petioles thickened at both ends; stipules
lanceolate or aciculate, caducous. Flowers small, unisexual, in axillary panicles. Peduncles and branches adpressed lepidote; pedicels articulate. Calyx campanulate or urceolate, 5 or rarely 6-toothed, stellate- pubescent. Petals absent. Male flowers with 8 -
10 anther locules clustered, regularly or irregularly arranged in a ring at the top of the
androgynophore with a minute sterile ovary in the centre, androgynophore granular
papillose at base. Female flowers with 4 or 5(6), sessile, minute, laterally compressed,
conglutinate, almost free ovaries encircled by sterile anthers at base; styles short,
spreadmg or incurved with minute stigmas. Samaras with an ellipsoid or globose nut,
woody epicarp, winged or keeled.
Tropical Asia from India through Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam to Malesia, tropical
Australia, Pacific regions and Africa; ca 31 species; 5 in India.
Literature.
KOSTERMANS, A.J.O.H. (1959). A monograph of the genus Hertiera Aiton (Sterculiaccae). Reinwardtia 4: 465 -
583.
