Allophylus
Content
Description
Shrubs, small trees, or sometimes woody climbers, monoecious or dioecious.
Leaves digitate, (l-)3(-5)-foliolate.
Inflorescences axillary, usually either simple or composed of a few long and slender, racemi-form thyrses, sometimes paniculate.
Flowers unisexual, obliquely zygomorphic.
Sepals 4, free, imbricate, outer 2 distinctly narrower than the inner ones.
Petals 4, nail-shaped to spathulate, inside above the claw with a 2-lobed scale (much smaller than to nearly as big as the blade) which is usually bearded.
Stamens 8, rarely fewer, all with about the same length, exserted in male flowers;
Ovary deeply 2- (or 3-)lobed, 2- (or 3-) celled, 1 ovule per cell;
Fruits drupaceous, mostly consisting of 1 mericarp only, globular to obovoid, thin-walled, mostly almost glabrous when ripe.
Seeds without aril.
Distribution
Probably monotypic, though up to 250 species may be accepted. Cir-cumtropical, in some regions penetrating into the Subtropics. See .