Trees or shrubs, mostly evergreen; trunk and sucker shoots usually armed with
simple and branched spines; branchlets of older trees usually unarmed. Leaves alternate, serrate-crenate to subentire, usually short or long acuminate at apex, 3 -
5- pliveined
at base, coriaceous, or subcoriaceous, usually dark green and glossy above and generally
glabrous, sometimes with a pair of distinct glands at lamina base or apex of petiole; basal
primary and secondary veins upturned, gradually diminishing apically to join superadjacent veins by a series of cross veins and give rise to branchlets to terminate in a gland
beneath serrate-crenate teeth or at margin; stipules minute, caducous. Flowers normally bisexual, usually laxly arranged in axillary or terminal bracteate racemes or paniculate
cymes. Sepals 5 -
8, imbricate, ciliolate along margins, connate at base. Petals similar
to but usually narrower and alternate with sepals. Receptacles flat, hairy around the
base of ovary and filaments, or glabrous, sometimes with a row of extrastaminal glands.
Stamens numerous, much longer than petals, incurved in buds; anthers ovoid, dorsifixed,
connective produced into an apiculate appendage; pollen tricolporate, reticulate, suboblate to subprolate. Carpels 2 -
4 (-5) connate into an unilocular ovary; ovules few or
each placenta protruded to about middle of the locule; styles connate, rather long,
persistent in fruits; stigma subcapitate, shallowly 3-lobed, each again obscurely bilobed.
Berry ellipsoid or globose, apiculate, 2 -
3 (-20)-seeded, with withered floral appendage
at base. Seeds exarillate, with abundant albumen and foliaceous cotyledons.
Tropical and subtropical Africa, S.E. Asia to N.E. Australia; ca37 species, 4 in India.
Literature.
SLEUMER, H. (1972) A taxonomic revision of the genus Scolopia Schreb. (Flacourtiaceae). Blumea 20: 25 - 63.
KEY TO THE SPECIES
1a. Leaves with a pair of distinct glands at lamina base or apex of petiole
2
b. Leaves without such distinct glands at lamina base or apex of petiole
3
2a. Quinternary veins conspicuous only on upper surface, ultimate reticulum inside areoles thus more
dense on upper surface than the lower; inflorescence sparsely to densely pubescent; extrastaminal
disc glands absent; anther connectives hairy
b. Quinternary veins not apparent on either surfaces, ultimate reticulum inside areoles thus similar on both surfaces; infloresence practically glabrous; extrastaminal disc composed of a row of short, thick glands before petals; anther connectives glabrous
3a. Leaves usually subentire, rarely repando-crenate; petioles 3 -
4 (-6) mm long; quinternary veins
conspicuous only on upper surface, ultimate reticulum inside areoles thus more dense on upper
surface than the lower; extrastaminal disc composed of a few to rather numerous short, thick, distinct
papillae before petals
b. Leaves usually coarsely serrato-crenate to crenato-repand, rarely subentire; petioles 6 -
12 mm long;
quinternary veins not apparent on either surface, ultimate reticulum inside areoles thus similar on
both surfaces
