genus descriptions: SSTAs

Small trees or shrubs, usually single-stemmed and often with a palm-like habit, polygamous or dioecious. Leaves paripinnate, up to 1 m and longer, with +/- 4-8 pairs of +/- opposite leaflets; stipules absent. Inflorescences spicate racemes arranged in rows or groups on old wood or roots. Flowers slightly irregular with petals crowded to one side and stamens or ovary on opposite side. Calyx +/- urn-shaped, (4)5-lobed, finely, densely tomentose; lobes 1/4-1/2 as long as calyx. Petals 4 or 5(6), unequal, slightly longer than calyx, linear-spathulate, with a short scale and sometimes also a short subulate process above the claw. Disc annular, asymmetrical, lobed. Stamens 6-8(15); filaments filiform, conspicuously hairy; anthers 2-thecous, dorsifixed, linear-oblong. Ovary 3-9-locular and -lobed, with 1 erect ovule per locule; style present, sometimes arched in female flowers; stigma entire to slightly lobed. Fruit a large and fleshy, lobed or ribbed drupe. Seed 1 per locule, without aril.

Erect perennial herbs with simple or sparsely branched, glabrous, quadrangular stems. Leaves opposite, shortly petiolate, ovate to lanceolate, acuminate at apex, serrulate except cuneate base, scabrid above, penninerved. Inflorescence a lax raceme with a pair of flowers at each floriferous node. Flowers 2-lipped, reddish purple with paler throat. Calyx glabrous, 5-lobed; lobes ovate to lanceolate. Corolla slightly irregular; upper lip 2-lobed, with glandular hairs inside; lower lip 3-lobed; tube gradually widening, much longer than lobes. Stamens 4; filaments of anterior stamens geniculate and incurved, papillate and with glandular hairs, filaments of posterior stamens +/- straight, much shorter; anthers with 2 equal thecae. Ovary globose, glabrous; style filiform; stigma 2-lobed. Fruit a septicidal capsule. Seeds with alveolate endosperm.

Annual, rigid, erect, branched herbs. Leaves opposite to alternate, linear, entire or trifid. Flowers small, solitary-axillary or terminally racemose, bi-bracteolate. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed; lobes ovate to lanceolate, acute or obtuse. Corolla limb subequally 5-lobed; lobes entire; tube enlarged above, sometimes incurved. Stamens 4, somewhat didynamous, included; anthers free, bithecal; thecae arched or parallel, distinct, apically attached. Ovary 2-4-locular; ovules many. Capsule globose to subglobose. Seeds many, obovoid.

Tall, deciduous, often dioecious trees, often with strongly buttressed or deeply fluted bole. Leaves usually spirally arranged, rarely opposite, chartaceous or coriaceous, +/- clearly pellucid-punctate, densely pubescent to subglabrous; lateral nerves many-paired, looped distally and running parallel to leaf margin or extending to leaf edge to form the thickened margin, tertiary veins conspicuous; stipules 0. Flowers often unisexual, (4)5(6)-merous, sessile or shortly pedicellate, fasciculate in axils of current or fallen leaves. Calyx a single whorl of 4-6 sepals +/- free to base, or 6-11 in a closely imbricate spiral. Corolla: tube slightly shorter to longer than lobes; lobes 4-6(-9), simple, sometimes fringed or papillose, usually erect. Stamens 4-6(-9), arising in lower or upper half of tube, rarely free; anthers usually extrorse or laterally dehiscent, included; staminodes, if present, usually as many as corolla lobes, small, +/- subulate or rarely petaloid. Disc present or absent. Ovary 1-6(-16)-locular, subglobose, densely pilose; placentation axile; style cylindric, slightly expanded towards apex, included or exserted. Fruit a subglobose to narrowly ellipsoid 1-several-seeded berry. Seed solitary, +/- ellipsoid; testa shining brown with conspicuous scar; endosperm present or absent; cotyledons fleshy.