Bussea

Shrubs or more usually trees, unarmed and always with brown or rusty indumentum on young shoots and also inflorescences. Leaves usually opposite or subopposite, but varying sometimes to alternate, bipinnate; stipules small, subulate; specialized glands restricted to petiole and rhachis or absent; leaflets usually opposite, eglandular. Inflorescences of terminal panicles with flowers densely and racemosely arranged along branches; rarely and casually (in B. massaiensis) inflorescence reduced to a simple raceme; bracts small, falling as, or before flowers open. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 5, imbricate, inner ones with hyaline erose margins. Petals 5, upper one smaller than rest, all with rusty indumentum in middle and on claw. Stamens 10; filaments rusty-tomentose at base, eglandular; anthers dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary free, subsessile, densely brown-tomentose; ovules 2 or 3; style +/- clothed like ovary; stigma enlarged and peltate. Pods erect, linear-oblanceolate, +/- compressed, not winged, elastically dehiscing into 2 recurving woody valves each of which has a conspicuous longitudinal groove down middle. Seeds 1-3, longitudinal; funicle short; endosperm absent.