Oliniaceae

Abstract

Shrubs or trees up to 25 m high; stem often fluted and buttressed; young branches quadrangular. Leaves opposite or often ternate, petiolate, simple, entire, pinnately veined, obovate, elliptic or lanceolate, often acuminate, glabrous, coriaceous; stipules rudimentary. Inflorescence terminal and/or axillary, paniculate with branches ending in 3-flowered cymules; bracts opposite, often caducous. Flowers pedicellate, bisexual, actinomorphic, (4)5-merous, obhaplostemonous, epigynous; hypanthium tubular, ending in (4)5 minute teeth (sometimes interpreted as epicalyx); sepals inserted on hypanthium rim, alternating with hypanthium teeth, conspicuous, petal-like, lingulate, white or pinkish, usually pubescent adaxially towards the base; calyx aestivation apert (at least in older developmental stages); petals inserted on adaxial side of hypanthium rim, alternating with and much shorter than sepals, scale-like, usually pink, pubescent, incurved and closing the hypanthium tube in bud, at anthesis spreading and more or less upright, exposing the floral centre; corolla aestivation valvate; stamens as many as and opposite petals, inserted below petals on adaxial side of hypanthium rim, strongly in-curved in bud, less so but still incurved at anthesis; filaments short; anthers bithecate, tetrasporangiate, dorsi fixed, longitudinally dehiscent, with thickened connective; disc structures lacking; pistil (3-)5-carpellate, syncarpous; ovary inferior, (3-)5-locular; style terete, not exserted; stigma capitate, papillate; ovules (2)3 per locule, pendulous, superposed on axile placenta, campylotropous, bitegmic, crassinucellate; fruit drupaceous, thinly fleshy (pericarp), globose or ovoid, pink to bright red when ripe, with a circular scar left by the caducous hypanthium; endocarp woody. Seeds usually 1 per locule, often only 1 per fruit, ovoid or ellipsoid, with thick testa; endosperm absent.