Trees up to 30 m. or shrubs with leaves alternate, simple, entire or serrate, penninerved; stipules small or absent. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary cyme or raceme. Flowers bisexual, ± regular, ± hypogynous, in racemose to cymose inflorescences, mostly 5-merous. Sepals ± imbricate, petals free, imbricate or convolute, persistent in fruit. Stamens 5, 10, 15 or 20, in 1 whorl. Ovary superior or slightly inferior, syncarpous, carpels 5 with simple style and stigma. Locules often divided incompletely by outgrowths of the carpel wall, with 2 pendulous ovules in each locule. Fruit a capsule with valves splitting away from the central column. Comment: Eudicots – Rosids –Order Malpighiales – Family Ixonanthaceae. Worldwide: 4/5 genera and about 30 species tropics,in eastern South America, tropical Africa, Madagascar and Malesia. 1 genus in F.Z. Zambia: 1 genus and 1 taxon. |
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