Trees or shrubs, sometimes buttressed at base. Leaves usually coriaceous or
subcoriaceous, crenate to subentire, pinnately veined; secondary veins branched towards margin to join superadjacent veins and to terminate in a gland beneath each teeth
or at margin. Flowers bisexual, subtended by caducous or persistent bracts, spirally
arranged, singly or in glomerules in terminal or subterminal racemes, panicles or spikes.
Hypanthium funnel-shaped, adnate to lower half of ovary; sepals and petals in separate
whorls, perigynous, somewhat accrescent in fruit. Sepals 4 -
8 (-12), with an episepalous
nectar gland opposite each. Petals as many, often similar to and alternating with sepals,
inserted at throat of calyx-tube. Stamens solitary before each petal or 2 or more in
fascicles on and or before each petal, between disc lobes and often alternating with
staminodes; anthers didymous, dorsifixed, extrorse; pollen tricolporate, endoaperture
lalongate. Carpels 2 -
5, connate into unilocular, half inferior ovary usually hairy outside
and sometimes also inside, maturing into a coriaceous or bony fruit, beaked at apex;
ovules 1 -
many, pendulous on parietal placenta, confined to apex; styles (2-) 3 -
9, free
or shortly connate at base; stigma capitellate. Fruits ovoid or subglobose, splitting into
valves at apex or indehiscent. Seeds 1 - few, minute, angular, oblong; endosperm fleshy;
cotyledons foliaceous.
Pantropical; ca 200 species, 6 in India.
KEY TO THE SPECIES
1a. Stamens solitary before each petal
2
b. Stamens in groups of 3 or more, on and or before each petal
4
2a. Tertiary veins prominently railed beneath, oblique to midrib; flowers sessile, in glomerules of 2 - 5 in pendulous spikes
b. Tertiary veins not prominently railed beneath, more or less perpendicular at least along midrib; flowers pedicelled, arranged singly or in atomerules in racemes or panicles
3
3a. Flowers arranged singly in divaricately branched panicles
