Small evergreen trees or shrubs with red or yellow coloured juice and peltate hairs.
Distribution
Neotropical. Sub-tropical to tropical. South of Northamerica to the north of Southamerica, West Indies
Floral characters
Calyx: 5 sepals, regular, not persistent and contorted, with basal abaxial glands. Corolla 5 large petals with no basal scale, imbricate, regular. Androecium 50-150 (many) stamens, androecial members branched, maturing centrifugally, free of the perianth and of one another. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens, the filaments areelongated. Gynoecium 2-4 carpelled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Pistil is 1- celled. Gynoecium stylate and syncarpous, eu-syncarpous and superior. Ovary 1 locular. Ovules in the single cavity 30-150 (many). The hermaphrodite flowers are medium-sized, showy and regular, pink or white coloured.
Leaf characters
Simple, alternate leaves with a long petiol, the lamina is entire and palmately veined. Stipules are present. Stomata are abaxial and anomocytic. Secretory cavities with dark, refractive contents. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells.
Stipules
present
Fruit characters
The fruit is non-fleshy, a dehiscent capsule. Capsules loculicidal. Seeds endospermic, endosperm not oily. Seeds with starch, 2 spathulate Cotyledons. The prickly fruits contain 50 or so seeds with a scarlet, waxy covering that yields a bright yellow dye. Embryo achlorophyllous (1/1); straight. The seeds have a pulpy red testa. Micropyle zigzag, or not zigzag
