Ryparosa Blume

Trees or shrubs, dioecious. Leaves alternate, often seemingly distichous or subopposite, exstipulate, entire, coriaceous, pinnately veined; secondary veins upturned, gradually diminishing apically inside the margin and connected to superadjacent veins by a series of cross veins; petioles rather long, thickened at both ends. Male flowers small, bracteate, in axillary or cauline elongated racemes arising singly or in fascicles of 2 - 3. Calyx at rust closed, globose, irregularly splitting into 3 - 5 reflexed lobes at anthesis. Petals 4 - 5, imbricate, afterwards reflexed with a densely hirsute scale at base inside. Stamnens as many as petals; filaments often connate into a central column enclosing the rudimentary ovary with anthers at top, rarely free and alternate with petals; anthers ovate, basifixed, reticulate; pollen tricolporate, finely reticulate, prolate to spheroidal; pistillode absent. Ovary rudimentary or absent. Female flowers in shorter racemes. Calyx and petals similar to those in males. Staminodes 4 - 5, much reduced, often inantherous; filaments shortly connate at base into an annular disc or free. Carpels 2 - 3, connate into unilocular densely hairy ovary; ovules 1 - 2 on parietal placentae; stigma 2 - 3, sessile, radiating. Fruit a capsular berry, globose or variously angular, scantily pulpy; pericarp thinly coriaceous. Seeds 1 - 3(-6), embedded in a little pulp, ellipsoid or subglobose, ribbed-reticulate or smooth.

Rain forests of S.E. Asia; ca 18 species, one in India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).

List of Lower Taxa