Rauvolfia

Trees or shrubs, usually glabrous. Leaves opposite or whorled, often large, shortly petioled, penninerved; axillary glands many in a dense fringe or in clusters; stipules 0. Inflorescence a terminal or pseudoaxillary, peduncled, usually many-flowered, simple or compound umbel or corymb, rarely a raceme. Flowers small, white or yellowish. Calyx small, divided almost to base or united into a shallow, 5-toothed cup, eglandular within; sepals or segments imbricate. Corolla salver-shaped; tube cylindric, slightly widened below mouth, very rarely just below middle; mouth constricted, without appendages; lobes shorter than tube, overlapping to the left. Stamens in widened part of tube; filaments short, terete; anthers 4-locular, free from stigma, ovate, acute to obtuse, shortly 2-lobed at base. Disc annular or cup-shaped, entire or slightly lobed. Ovary of 2 free or coherent carpels; style subterete; stigma capitate or shortly cylindric, minutely papillose and slightly viscous, with a basal, deflexed rim and a very short, slightly bilobed apiculus arising from a shallow depression; ovules 2 in each locule, collateral. Mericarps 2 (or often 1 by abortion) free, or +/- united, drupaceous; pyrenes crustaceous, 1- or 2-seeded, +/- compressed. Seeds ovoid. x = 11 (aneuploids, high polyploidy).