Lianas, shrubs or small trees. Leaves imparipinnate; leaflets 3 - 5 or more,
mostly pellucid-glandular punctate, entire. Inflorescence terminal or axillary
panicles. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, fragrant. Sepals, petals and stamens punctate
by glands appearing as dark dots in the herbarium specimens. Sepals slightly
connate at the base, thick and fleshy. Petals free, pubescent or glabrous,
sometimes glandular-ciliate at the margin. Stamens 10, united at base; inner
whorl shorter and usually sterile to staminodial; filaments sparsely glandular-pubescent. Carpel 1; ovary and basal half of style pilose; stigma capitate. Fruits
pod like, with persistent calyx, somewhat compressed, opening longitudinal1y,
often stalked, apex with a short, triangular beak; pericarp dry, chartaceous
to woody. Seed 1, bean shaped, shining black, basal part partly enveloped
by a fleshy, yellow, 2-lobed arillode; endosperm absent.
Pantropical, mainly in S. America and S.E. Asia, ca 100 species, 10
in India.
