Small trees or erect or scan dent shrubs, mostly glabrous. Leaves opposite,
rarely alternate, simple; stipules caducous or none. Inflorescence axillary, in
panicled cymes, sometimes in umbellate clusters; bracts triangular-ovate;
bracteoles sometimes in clusters. Flowers bisexual, regular, mostly quite small;
disc conical, cupular, thick or expanded. Sepals 5, rarely 2 or 3, minute, ovate,
imbricate, united at the base. Petals 5, rarely 2, free, spreading or erect, imbricate,
rarely subvalvate. Stamens 3, rarely 2 - 5, inserted on the top of disc, alternate
with petals; filaments flat, connate at base; anthers extrorse, rarely introrse,
transversely dehiscent; pollen grains binucleate, tricolporate. Ovary superior,
triangular, tricarpellary, rarely 2 or 5-carpellary; locules as many as the carpels,
placentation axile; style terminal, subulate; stigmas as many as carpels; ovules
2 - 10 in each locule. Fruit 1 - 3 loculed drupe, berry or capsule. Seeds compressed
often winged or angular, without endosperm; cotyledons large, connate, thick.
Tropical America, Africa, S.E. Asia and Australia; 3 genera and 223
species, 3 genera and 32 species in India.
Literature.
BULLOCK, A.A.
(1958) Nomina Familiarum Conservanda Proposita. Taxon
7: 175. DING HOU (1963) Blumea 12 (I): 32-33. DING HOU (1963) Fl. Males., Ser. 1, 6: 389-449. SMITH, A.C.
(1940) Revision of New World Hippocrateaceae. Brittonia 3: 341-555. SMITH.
A.C. (1945) Notes on Hippocrateaceae in Southern Asia. J. Arn. Arb. 26: 169-179.
KEY TO THE GENERA
1a. Fruits drupaceous, indehiscent; seeds wingless; flowers
usually in fascicles
