genus descriptions: SSTAs

Small dioecious, deciduous trees or shrubs. Leaves simple, opposite or subopposite, penninerved, petiolate; stipules 0. Male flowers in terminal or axillary, few-flowered inflorescences; bracts very small, obsolete or absent; calyx: tube +/- cupular, truncate, subentire or shallowly 3-lobed; petals 3, arising below margin of disc, imbricate; stamens (?2)3, alternipetalous, arising with petals, with introrse anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits; disc fleshy, cupular, usually elevated in centre into a vestigial ovary. Female flowers solitary, terminal; calyx tube elongated, smooth and longitudinally striate or tuberculate to echinulate, with usually 4 inconspicuous lobes; petals usually 4; disc epigynous; staminodes present; ovary bicarpellary; style columnar, short and thick; stigmas 2-lobed; ovules 2-seriate on each placenta. Fruit indehiscent, crowned by persistent style. Seeds subellipsoid to subglobose; endosperm abundant, horny.

Trees or shrubs, monoecious or (?)sometimes androdioecious. Leaves distichous, pinnately veined to subtriplinerved; stipules fully amplexicaul, free. Inflorescences in leaf axils or just below leaves, bisexual or staminate, discoid or subglobose to turbinate-capitate; bracts interfloral, peltate, marginal bracts often basally attached. Staminate flowers several to many; tepals 3 or 4, connate; stamens (1)2, inflexed in bud; pistillode present. Pistillate flower 1, central, partly adnate to receptacle; perianth 4-lobed; ovary adnate to perianth; stigmas 2, band-shaped, equal. Fruit forming a drupaceous whole with an enlarged, fleshy, orange to yellow receptacle, crowned with remnants of staminate flowers and bracts. Seed large, without endosperm; cotyledons thick, unequal.

Glabrous shrubs, sparsely branched; branches slender, 4-angular. Leaves opposite, unequal at same node, petiolate, lanceolate-cordate, acutely acuminate, 5- or 7-nerved at base, serrate with mucronate teeth. Flowers in lax terminal dichotomous panicles; pedicels slender. Calyx: tube/receptacle smooth, short, entire or faintly dentate. Petals 5, ovate-lanceolate, pink. Stamens 10, in 2 subequal whorls; outer stamens with connective produced below and anterior appendage 2-lobed; inner ones with curved anther and connective not produced but with 2 anterior tubercles. Ovary adhering to calyx tube/receptacle by 5 ribs, glabrous, apex convex; style thick, sigmoid; stigma punctiform. Fruit broadly ellipsoid, with very thin walls, splitting irregularly. Seeds: hilum large; embryo curved.

Shrubs or trees; branches rounded. Leaves large, coriaceous, subsessile; lamina ovate-elliptic, entire, veins parallel-convergent, 3 strong, 2 marginal ones weak. Inflorescences many-flowered, stipitate, puberulose cymes with well-developed peduncles and pedicels, terminal, axillary or on old wood; prefloral branches and flowers often umbellate; bracteoles at base of pedicels, not immediately below calyx. Calyx: tube/receptacle deeply cup-shaped with broadly triangular lobes. Petals triangular, valvate in bud, blue, white or purple. Stamens: anthers erect, connective +/- parallel, curved towards back, with a gland, divergent only at base. Ovary 1-locular, without any partitions or parietal projections; ovules 6-8 on a central placenta; style filiform; stigma capitate. Fruit spherical, crowned with remains of calyx. Seeds 1(2); embryo curved, cotyledons foliaceous, hemispheric.