Xylopia
Source:
SSA
Description:
Trees, shrubs or shrublets, not climbing, with simple hairs. Leaves often +/- elliptic, usually membranous or coriaceous. Inflorescences axillary cymes or fascicles or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, pedicellate or sessile, often fragrant, bracteolate; bracteoles (1)2-5, caducous or persistent. Sepals 3, +/- connate, valvate, much shorter than petals. Petals 6, free, valvate, in 2 whorls, subequal or outer larger than inner, spoon-shaped, erect or spreading. Stamens many, linear, outer and inner often flattened and staminodal; filaments articulated, sometimes connate at base, enclosing gynoecium; anther thecae extrorse, transversely septate; connective prolongation capitate. Carpels many to few, free, rarely solitary, ovoid-cylindrical or +/- flattened; ovules many; styles cylindrical or narrowly clavate, aggregated. Monocarps obovoid to cylindrical, mostly stipitate, dehiscent or indehiscent, +/- fleshy, 1-8-seeded. Seeds vertical to horizontal, collateral or biseriate; aril sometimes small. x= 8.
Distribution:
Species +/- 100-160, pantropical, Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Malaya and America; 3 in sthn Afr., Namibia and Northern Province.