Evergreen trees, shrubs or woody climbers, often root parasites. Branches
zig-zag in internodal regions. Leaves simple, alternate, entire, exstipulate, both
surfaces usually pustulate. Inflorescence axillary racemes, spikes, or panicles,
rarely umbellate or subumbellate. Flowers pedicelled or sessile, small, regular
usually bisexual, sometimes unisexual or polygamous, 4 - 5-merous, with a single perianth whorl. Perianth lobes free or united at base, entire or 4 - 5-lobed, sometimes urceolate, petaloid or sepaloid. Stamens as many as and opposite
to the perianth lobes. Filaments free or attached to the base of the perianth,
anthers opening by longitudinal slits; disc glands alternating with the stamens.
Ovary superior or partially inferior, 2 - 5 carpellary, syncarpous, 1-loculed; ovule
1, pendulous or erect; stigma small or expanded, sessile or on a short style.
Fruit a single seeded drupe, often fleshy; seeds with small, narrow, cylindric
embryo and thick endosperm.
Tropical Asia and Africa, rarely in tropical America; 9 genera and 60
species, 4 genera and 4 species in India.
Notes.
Opiliaceae was established by Valeton in 1886. It was earlier treated
as tribe Opilieae under Olacaceae by Masters (l.c.) and various other authors.
Literature.
HIEPKO, P. (1979) A revision of Opitiaceae 1. Genera of the Eastern Old
World excluding Opilia. Willdenowia 9: 13-56. HIEPKO, P.
(1982). A revision of Opiliaceae
2. Opilia Roxb. Willdenowia 12(2): 161-182. KUMAR, A. (1988) The family Opiliaceae in Madhya
Pradesh, India. J. Econ. Tax. Bot. 12(2): 430. SLEUMER, H. (1935) Olacaceae Opiliaceae. In
Engler & Prantl. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2. 16b: 5-41.
KEY TO THE GENERA
1a. Inflorescence a panicle; flowers unisexual or polygamous
