The World Flora Online

Trees [rarely herbs], wood soft, sap milky. Stems erect; usually unbranched. Leaves alternate (borne at branch tips), palmately lobed [simple]; stipules absent; petiole present; blade margins entire or lobed. Inflorescences usually axillary, paniculate [cymose-paniculate, cymose, or racemose]; bracts present. Pedicels present or absent. Flowers usually unisexual, rarely bisexual, staminate and pistillate usually on different plants, 5-merous; calyces rotate, campanulate, or tubular, 5-toothed. Staminate flowers: corolla funnelform [tubular, salverform], tube elongate, 5-lobed, lobes oblong to linear [ovate]; stamens 10, in 2 series, borne at orifice of corolla tube, alternating longer and shorter; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits, introrse, distinct or connate basally, connective often projecting beyond anther sacs; ovary vestigial or absent. Pistillate flowers: petals distinct or connate basally, oblong to linear; ovary (1-)5-carpellate, 1-locular; placentation parietal; ovules 100+, anatropous, bitegmic; styles 0 or 1; stigmas 5, divided into 2 or more lobes. Fruits: berries. Seeds brown to black, ovoid to compressed, smooth or warty; aril gelatinous; embryo linear, cotyledons flat, broad.

Arbres ou arbustes, généralement dioïques, rarement monoïques ou polygames, pourvus de lacticifères; tronc monocaule ou peu ramifié. Feuilles alternes, longuement pétiolées; limbe foliaire grand, digité, palmatilobé ou rarement entier; stipules généralement absentes. Inflorescences axillaires, cymeuses, fleurs rarement solitaires. Fleurs 5-mères, régulières, unisexuées ou rarement bisexuées; corolle gamopétale. Fleurs mâles: calice à sépales libres ou gamosépale et à lobes imbriqués ou valvaires; corolle à tube bien développé; étamines 5 ou 10, épipétales, généralement sessiles, anthères introrses, à déhiscence longitudinale. Fleurs femelles: calice gamosépale; corolle campanulée; ovaire supère, volumineux, 1-loculaire, à placentation pariétale et 50-100 ovules ou 5-loculaire, à placentation axillaire et 30-50 ovules par loge, style court et ramifié, à 5 stigmates. Fruit généralement une baie de grande taille. Graines albuminées, à sarcotesta mucilagineux.

Small trees or shrubs with a terminal cluster of leaves and milky juice; leaves alternate, often variously digitately lobed or foliolate; stipules absent; flowers hermaphrodite and unisexual, racemose; male flower: calyx 5-lobed, small; petals united into a slender tube; lobes contorted or valvate; stamens 10, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate at the base; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise; rudimentary ovary present or absent; female flower: calyx of the male; petals at first connivent, at length free; no staminodes; ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled or spuriously 5-celled, with parietal placentas; ovules numerous; style short or absent; fruit a pulpy berry; seeds with fleshy endosperm and straight embryo

Fruit a fleshy many-seeded berry Ovules ?, anatropous Female flower: petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 5-carpellary, 1-locular or 5-locular, with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, connate at the base, entire or lobed Seeds with succulent outer sarcotesta and hard endotesta; endosperm present Calyx small, gamosepalous, subentire or 3–5-lobed, the lobes opposing or alternating with petals Male flower: corolla gamopetalous, with valvate or contorted lobes; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate into a short staminal ring Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, simple and entire or variously lobed or divided Flowers dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite, pentamerous, actinomorphic, in axillary inflorescences or, rarely plants cauliflorous Trees or shrubs with simple or sparingly branched stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts Ovules ?, anatropous Female flower: petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 5-carpellary, 1-locular or 5-locular, with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, connate at the base, entire or lobed Seeds with succulent outer sarcotesta and hard endotesta; endosperm present Calyx small, gamosepalous, subentire or 3–5-lobed, the lobes opposing or alternating with petals Male flower: corolla gamopetalous, with valvate or contorted lobes; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate into a short staminal ring Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, simple and entire or variously lobed or divided Flowers dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite, pentamerous, actinomorphic, in axillary inflorescences or, rarely plants cauliflorous Trees or shrubs with simple or sparingly branched stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts

Trees small, palmlike, or shrubs, rarely vines, often prickly, monoecious, dioecious, andromonoecious, gynomonoecious, or polygamomonoecious. Stem stout, unbranched, rarely branched, with a terminal cluster of leaves, with flowing, latexlike exudate. Leaves alternate, long petiolate, usually estipulate, large; stipules when present, spiny; leaf blade palmate or palmatifid, rarely entire or pinnatifid. Inflorescences axillary; male flowers aggregated in cymose panicles; female flowers usually solitary or aggregated in corymbose cymes, large. Calyx 5-lobed; lobes small, connate basally. Corolla 5-lobed; tube long in male flowers, short in female flowers. Stamens 5 or 10, 1- or 2-whorled, inserted in throat of corolla tube; filaments free, connate basally; anthers introrse, tetrasporangiate, dehiscing via longitudinal slits. Gynoecium in male flowers vestigial, or absent; in female flowers syncarpous, synovarious to synstylovarious; ovary superior, 1- or 5-loculed, placentation when 1-loculed parietal (placentas ± deeply intruded) or laminar-dispersed, when 5-loculed axile; ovules numerous, anatropous, bitegmic; styles 1 or 5, free to partly joined, apical; stigmas 5, papillate, dry. Fruit large, fleshy, indehiscent berry. Seeds numerous, surrounded by mucilage; endosperm oily; embryo well differentiated; cotyledons 2, broad, flat. n = 9.

Flowers dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite, pentamerous and regular Inflorescences axillary or rarely cauliflorous Male flowers gamopetalous; corolla-tube long and narrow; lobes ± valvate or contorted; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate Calyx small, gamosepalous, 5-lobed Fruit a fleshy berry with numerous seeds; seed with soft succulent outer testa and hard inner testa; endosperm present; embryo straight Female flowers with petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 1- or 5-locular with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, sessile, simple or fimbriate; ovules numerous, anatropous Trees or shrubs, usually with simple trunks or stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts Leaves large, usually clustered at branch tips, long-petioled and exstipulate, variously lobed and divided, glabrous or rarely hairy Inflorescences axillary or rarely cauliflorous Male flowers gamopetalous; corolla-tube long and narrow; lobes ± valvate or contorted; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate Calyx small, gamosepalous, 5-lobed Fruit a fleshy berry with numerous seeds; seed with soft succulent outer testa and hard inner testa; endosperm present; embryo straight Female flowers with petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 1- or 5-locular with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, sessile, simple or fimbriate; ovules numerous, anatropous Trees or shrubs, usually with simple trunks or stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts Leaves large, usually clustered at branch tips, long-petioled and exstipulate, variously lobed and divided, glabrous or rarely hairy