The World Flora Online

Lianes , suffrutex lianeux ou petits arbustes.'Feuilles'alternes, composées, imparipennées ou unifoliolées; stipules et stipelles absentes.'Inflorescences'en racèmes ou panicules, terminales ou axillaires, quelquefois en glomérules, souvent fasciculées sur les vieux rameaux à l'aisselle des feuilles tombées, quelquefois caulinaires.'Fleurs'☿, rarement ♂ ♀ 1, actinomorphes, 5-cycliques ou 4-cycliques; sépales 5, nettement ou légèrement imbriqués ou valvaires, libres, rarement soudés; pétales 5, libres ou ± coalescents à la base; étamines 5+5, rarement 4+4, les internes épipétales plus petites que les externes épisépales, quelquefois staminodiales; filets légèrement soudés à la base; anthères le plus souvent dorsifixes, à déhiscence longitudinale interne; carpelles 5 ou 1, très rarement 3 1, libres; ovules 2 par carpelle, dressés et collatéraux, attachés à la base ou au milieu de la suture ventrale, anatropes ou suborthotropes.'Follicules'1 ou plusieurs à maturité, parfois à déhiscence irrégulière ou indéhiscents.'Graines solitaires par follicule, rarement géminées; arille basal ou couvrant presque entièrement la graine ou testa ± charnu; endosperme copieux, rudimentaire ou absent.\n\t\t\tVingt-quatre genres comprenant environ 410 espèces principalement répandues dans les régions tropicales. Seize genres et environ 170 espèces en Afrique dont près de 140 en Afrique tropicale occidentale. Au Congo belge, on compte 12 genres, 62 espèces et 3 variétés; aucun groupe n'est signalé au Ruanda-Urundi. Le matériel africain se caractérise par sa grande homogénéité. La plupart des genres sont assez bien délimités mais il n'en est pas de même pour les espèces.

Stamens hypogynous to perigynous, often declinate, 5 or 10; filaments often united at the base; anthers 2–celled, opening lengthwise Petals 5, free or sometimes slightly connate, imbricate or rarely valvate Calyx imbricate or valvate Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic Ovules 2, collateral, erect, attached near the base or the middle of the ventral suture, all or only 1 ripening into fruit Fruit often splitting down one side exposing the seed Disk absent or thin Carpels 1–5, free, 1–celled Seeds usually 1, with or without endosperm, often arillate Erect trees or shrubs, or scandent Leaves alternate, compound, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate; stipules absent Petals 5, free or sometimes slightly connate, imbricate or rarely valvate Calyx imbricate or valvate Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic Ovules 2, collateral, erect, attached near the base or the middle of the ventral suture, all or only 1 ripening into fruit Fruit often splitting down one side exposing the seed Disk absent or thin Carpels 1–5, free, 1–celled Seeds usually 1, with or without endosperm, often arillate Erect trees or shrubs, or scandent Leaves alternate, compound, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate; stipules absent

Carpels 5 or solitary, rarely 3, free, 1-locular; apparently all fertile but only 1–3 ripening into fruit; ovules 2, collateral, erect, attached at the base, near the base or near the middle of the ventral suture Disk absent or thin Seed usually 1 in each follicle, with or without endosperm, often arillate or pseudarillate Fruit usually follicular, dehiscing by the ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes, rarely rhizomatous shrublets Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free Petals 5, free or slightly connate near the base, imbricate or rarely valvate Leaves alternate, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate, leaflets entire; stipules absent Flowers usually bisexual, actinomorphic or subzygomorphic; androecium and gynoecium usually dimorphic Stamens 10 or 5, hypogynous to perigynous; filaments often united at the base; anthers 2-thecous, dorsifixed, with longitudinal introrse dehiscence Disk absent or thin Seed usually 1 in each follicle, with or without endosperm, often arillate or pseudarillate Fruit usually follicular, dehiscing by the ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes, rarely rhizomatous shrublets Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free Petals 5, free or slightly connate near the base, imbricate or rarely valvate Leaves alternate, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate, leaflets entire; stipules absent Flowers usually bisexual, actinomorphic or subzygomorphic; androecium and gynoecium usually dimorphic Stamens 10 or 5, hypogynous to perigynous; filaments often united at the base; anthers 2-thecous, dorsifixed, with longitudinal introrse dehiscence

Endosperm abundant, rudimentary or absent; cotyledons plano-convex, fleshy, or much flattened and small; radicle apical or laterally displaced Seed solitary, with ± fleshy aril covering part or all of the seed; aril free or sometimes fused with testa to form a compound fleshy pseudo-aril Fruit usually follicular, dehiscence by ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscence irregular Carpels 5 or solitary, rarely 3, free; ovules normally 2, basal or attached to ventral suture, collateral, anatropous or orthotropous, erect. All carpels apparently fertile but usually only 1–3 mature Petals 5, free or lightly connate near base Stamens 10, 5 episepalous longer than 5 epipetalous, the latter sometimes reduced and staminodal; filaments free or connate into a short tube at base; anthers dorsifixed, usually with longitudinal introrse dehiscence Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes Leaves alternate, unifoliolate or imparipinnate; stipules and stipellae absent Inflorescence terminal or axillary, paniculate or racemose, often fascicled in axils of older leaves or on older branchlets Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely dioecious,1 actinomorphic, usually pentacyclic, androecium and gynoecium often dimorphic or heteromorphic Seed solitary, with ± fleshy aril covering part or all of the seed; aril free or sometimes fused with testa to form a compound fleshy pseudo-aril Fruit usually follicular, dehiscence by ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscence irregular Carpels 5 or solitary, rarely 3, free; ovules normally 2, basal or attached to ventral suture, collateral, anatropous or orthotropous, erect. All carpels apparently fertile but usually only 1–3 mature Petals 5, free or lightly connate near base Stamens 10, 5 episepalous longer than 5 epipetalous, the latter sometimes reduced and staminodal; filaments free or connate into a short tube at base; anthers dorsifixed, usually with longitudinal introrse dehiscence Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes Leaves alternate, unifoliolate or imparipinnate; stipules and stipellae absent Inflorescence terminal or axillary, paniculate or racemose, often fascicled in axils of older leaves or on older branchlets Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely dioecious,1 actinomorphic, usually pentacyclic, androecium and gynoecium often dimorphic or heteromorphic

Trees small, shrubs, or vines, erect or scandent, evergreen or deciduous. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate; leaf blade odd-pinnate, 3-foliolate, or 1-foliolate; leaflets subopposite or alternate, usually leathery, margin entire, rarely lobulate. Inflorescences terminal, pseudoterminal, or axillary, paniculate or racemose, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic, small. Sepals (4 or)5, free or united at very base only, imbricate or valvate, persistent and clasping base of fruit. Petals (4 or)5, free, rarely slightly connate at middle, imbricate or valvate, rarely circinate. Stamens 5–10, hypogynous or perigynous, in 2 whorls alternately longer and shorter, those opposite petals often shorter and abortive; filaments free or shortly connate at base; anthers didymous, dorsifixed in proximal 1/2, introrse, short, dehiscing longitudinally. Disk thin or absent, surrounded by base of stamens. Carpels (1–) 5(–8), free, 1-celled, hirsute. Style subulate or filiform; stigma subcapitate, simple or 2-lobed. Ovules 2 in each carpel (1 sometimes sterile), collateral, erect. Fruit a usually solitary follicle, sessile or stipitate, dehiscing usually along adaxial suture, sometimes along abaxial one, very rarely circumscissile at base, sometimes indehiscent. Seed 1(or 2), erect, usually arillate, rarely exarillate; testa thick; aril colored, fleshy; endosperm present or absent; embryo straight; cotyledons thick and fleshy in exalbuminous seeds, thin in albuminous ones.