MELIACEAE  

Trees of mangrove swamps and coastal scrub, often with pneumatophores or ribbon-like buttresses, probably monoecious. Leaves paripinnate; leaflets entire. Flowers probably unisexual, borne in compound cymes. Calyx lobed to or beyond middle, lobes 4, aestivation open. Petals 4, free, much longer than calyx in bud, contorted. Staminal tube urceolate, bearing 8 included anthers inside tube towards apex and terminated by 8 appendages alternating with anthers; appendages subcircular, retuse or shallowly and irregularly 2(3)-lobed. Disc large, red, cushion-shaped, situated beneath or engulfing and fused to ovary, free from staminal tube. Ovary 4-locular, each locule with 2-4 ovules; style short; style head discoid, almost completely blocking entrance to staminal tube, margin crenellate, upper surface with a minute central papilla with 4 radiating, (?)stigmatic grooves. Fruit a large, almost spherical, leathery, septifragal capsule, dehiscing by 4 valves; septa thin, ultimately breaking down. Seeds 8-16, large, pyramidal or tetrahedral, with angular margins due to mutual compression, outer side somewhat rounded, attached by apex to placenta and so forming a spherical mass; outer integument thick, corky.

Large, evergreen, monoecious trees; bole fluted or slightly buttressed at base. Leaves paripinnate; leaflets opposite or alternate, 3-5(6)-jugate, entire. Flowers unisexual, borne in large panicles. Calyx lobed almost to base; lobes 2 + 2, imbricate, outer larger than inner ones. Petals 4, free, white, much longer than calyx in bud, imbricate. Staminal tube shortly cylindric or cup-shaped, margin entire or with very short, broad teeth or with paired deltate-acuminate appendages alternating with anthers; anthers 8. Disc short, broad, cushion-shaped, enveloping base of ovary, but free from staminal tube. Ovary 4-locular, each locule with 2 rows of 2 ovules; style short; style head capitate, obscurely 4-lobed. Fruit a pendulous, elongate, tetragonal, woody, septifragal capsule, dehiscing from apex or from apex and base simultaneously; columella extending to apex of capsule, 4-ridged, softly woody, each face slightly indented with imprints of 1 or 2 seeds. Seeds 2(4) per locule, but only 1 or 2 fertile, attached to apex of columella by winged end of seed and leaving inconspicuous scars on falling.

Dioecious trees or treelets; indumentum of simple hairs. Leaves pinnate, with a dormant terminal bud or more rarely a terminal leaflet; leaflets 8-15, oblong-elliptic, entire. Calyx irregularly lobed. Petals 5, free from staminal tube. Staminal tube cylindric; anthers 10, arising in throat of staminal tube and completely included. Disc annular at base of ovary. Ovary 3-5-locular; locules with 1 or 2 ovules; style head discoid with a small central depression. Fruit a cleistocarp, indehiscent or breaking up after falling. Seeds large, completely covered by a thin yellow aril.