Description:
Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, occasionally subopposite towards ends of branches, subsessile or petiolate, papyraceous to coriaceous, pinnately nerved. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, panicles or racemes or paniculate cymes, few- to many-flowered; bracts +/- pubescent, caducous. Flowers bisexual; receptacle shortly tubular or cup-shaped. Tepals 6(8) in 2 whorls on rim of receptacle, subequal, deciduous. Stamens in 4 whorls, 2 outer whorls each of 3(4) fertile stamens with anthers dehiscing introrsely; inner (third) whorl with anthers dehiscing extrorsely or laterally and with a gland on either side at base of filaments, or inner (third) whorl anthers sometimes sterile; innermost (fourth) whorl reduced to 3 staminodes. Ovary subglobose to narrowly ellipsoid, sessile, +/- immersed in receptacle; narrowed above into a slender style with an obscure stigma. Fruit a 1-seeded drupe, subglobose to ovoid or ellipsoid, naked.
Distribution:
Species +/- 200, pantropical, +/- 80 species in Africa and Madagascar. Robyns & Wilczek (1950) recognise 77 species in tropical continental Africa. However, Verdcourt (1996) suggests that there are probably fewer than this, pointing out that only 2(3) species are recorded from East Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 5, Angola (Cabinda), Zambia.
Source:
SSTA
Classification:
Add new comment