genus descriptions: SSTAs

Perennial or annual herbs, completely glabrous, with erect shoots and frequently +/- elongate-ascending branches from base; stems slender, wiry, angular. Leaves elliptic or oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, narrowing towards base but usually not petiolate, margin serrulate and incrassate; stipules with laciniate margins, longitudinally striate, free, persistent. Inflorescence paniculate to racemose and terminal or reduced to solitary or rarely paired flowers in axils of foliage leaves; pedicels articulated at or above base. Sepals 5, quincuncial in bud, green with pale margin, persistent, not enlarging or changing colour in fruit. Petals 5, spreading, not unguiculate, deciduous, white to pink. Androecium of (2)3 whorls; outer staminodes many in a continuous ring, white in upper parts or wholly crimson to purplish, inner petaloid staminodes 5, free, antepetalous, white with crimson to purplish base, truncate to retuse or eroded at apex; stamens 5, antesepalous, free; filaments short; anthers oblong-linear, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary with 3 parietal placentas (or axile at base), each placenta bearing many ovules in 2 rows; style simple, slender, stigma not enlarged. Fruit a capsule with 3 septicidal valves. Seeds many, small, with punctate testa.

Tall trees with first branches at a height of 5-6 m; young parts covered with red hairs. Leaves simple, entire, glabrous when mature, lower surface red when fresh; secondary veins reaching leaf margin. Inflorescences many-flowered axillary panicles. Flowers bisexual. Calyx cup-shaped with margin entire to faintly 4- or 5-lobed. Petals 4 or 5, free, valvate. Stamens free, 3-4 times as many as petals, alterni- and epipetalous with filaments pressed against inner face of petals. Ovary 3- or 4-locular with 1 ovule per locule; style short, conical, ending in a 3-lobed stigma. Fruit a globose or ellipsoid, glabrous drupe; endocarp woody, rugose. Seed 1; testa thin; endosperm starchy and oily.

Glabrous shrubs or small trees; branches weakly 2-winged. Leaves simple, entire. Inflorescences: flowers in few- or many-flowered axillary fascicles. Flowers bisexual. Calyx cup-shaped with entire or undulate margin. Petals 5, valvate, free except at base, pubescent on inner face. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls: large stamens alternipetalous, smaller ones epipetalous; filaments short, pressed against petals; anthers introrse, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 3-locular, each locule with 1 ovule; placenta central; style conical, ending in a 3-lobed stigma. Fruit a drupe surrounded by strongly accrescent calyx. Seed ellipsoid, with yellowish oily endosperm.

Glabrous woody twiners. Leaves alternate, lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, somewhat leathery.