Dioecious shrubs or trees, deciduous, with numerous stinging hairs (in ours). Stipules lateral, free. Leaves alternate, petiolate,
usually clustered in terminal rosettes. Cystoliths dot-like or elongated. Inflorescences appearing before the new leaves. Flowers pedicellate, clustered in branched, bracteate panicles. Male flowers actinomorhpic, 5-merous. Female flowers zygomorphic, 4-merous. Achene flattened, enclosed in a persistent perianth. Worldwide: 8 species in tropical and South Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes Zimbabwe: 1 taxon. |
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