Elaeophorbia

Monoecious, glabrous trees with a large rounded crown and copious caustic milky latex; branches ascending or spreading, fleshy, spiny, terminal branchlets obtusely 5-angled, becoming cylindric; spine shields very obtusely triangular. Leaves persistent at branch apices, fleshy; petiole subtended by a pair of short spines and vestigial stipules; blade obovate, tapering to petiole, entire, apex rounded or slightly emarginate. Inflorescences with cyathia in simple or dichotomous axillary cymes; bracts paired, persistent; involucres shallowly cup-shaped with 5 spreading glands around rim and 5 alternating lobes with denticulate margins. Male flowers : bracteoles fan-shaped; stamens many, well exserted. Female flower subsessile or shortly pedicellate in fruit; perianth entirely absent; ovary 3-locular with thickened fleshy walls and 1 pendulous ovule per locule; styles very short, with thickened bifid stigmas. Fruit drupaceous; exocarp thick, fleshy; endocarp woody, with a pore at base and each locule marked with a shallow longitudinal groove and a pore between grooves near apex. Seeds without caruncle.