Dioecious, rarely monoecious, trees or shrubs. Stipules present. Leaves alternate, simple, entire. Flowers axillary; the male usually several, fasciculate; females 1-3 per axil. Male flowers: pedicels capillary; calyx lobes 4,
imbricate; petals 0; disk annular, ± entire; stamens 4; pistillode 0. Female flowers: pedicels shorter than male; calyx lobes, petals and disk as for male flowers; ovary (2-)3-4(-5)-locular; ovules 2 per loculus; styles free or 2-fid. Fruit (2-)3-4(-5)-lobed, irregularly dehiscent or ± indehiscent. Seeds hemispheric, 2 per loculus; fleshy outer
seed coating present, bluish. Worldwide: 13 species in the tropics Burundi: 1 taxon. |
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