Chrysobalanaceae

Abstract

Trees, shrubs or suffrutices. Leaves alternate, simple, margins entire, pinnately nerved; stipules small and caducous to large and persistent, sometimes adnate to petiole. Inflorescence racemose, paniculate or cymose. Flowers bracteate and usually with 2 prophylls, actinomorphic to zygomorphic, bisexual or rarely polygamous or unisexual, markedly perigynous; receptacle short to elongate-cylindrical, sometimes gibbous at base; disk always present, forming a lining to receptacle or an annular or shortly tubular structure at its mouth; sepals 5, imbricate; petals 5, imbricate, often unequal, rarely unguiculate, sometimes absent; stamens 2–100 (−300) inserted on margin of disk or basally adnate to it, forming a complete circle or unilateral in zygomorphic flowers; filaments free, connate at base or ligulately connate, included to far exserted; anthers dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; ovary superior, inserted at base, middle or mouth of the receptacle, either unilocular with 2 ovules, or bilocular with 1 ovule in each loculus; ovules erect, epitropous with micropyle directed towards base; style filiform arising from receptacle at base of ovary; stigma distinctly or indistinctly 3-lobed. Fruit a dry or fleshy drupe; endocarp thin and bony to thick and woody, often with a special mechanism for seedling escape, often densely hairy within. Seed erect, almost exalbuminous; cotyledous planoconvex, fleshy, rarely ruminate; germination cryptocotylar or phanerocotylar.