Irvingiaceae

Abstract

Glabrous trees; wood extremely hard; leaves sometimes papillate underneath; mucilage cells in leaf and stem epidermis; secretory canals containing mucilage in leaves and stems. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, petiolate, pinnately veined, coriaceous; stipules very large, unequal, intrapetiolar, encircling the terminal bud, early caducous and leaving a very distinct scar. Inflorescences paniculate, axillary or terminal. Flowers small, hermaphroditic, regular, pedicels articulated; sepals 5, small, imbricate; petals 5, free, imbricate, exceeding the sepals; stamens 10 (9), distinct, exceeding the petals, inserted below the large intrastaminal nectary disk, filaments plicately folded in bud; anthers subbasifixed, 2-locular, ± globular, dehiscing by slits; gynoecium syncarpous, 5–4(2)-carpellate; ovary superior, 5–4(2)-locular; ovule 1 per locule, epitropous, anatropous, bitegmic and crassinucellar, pendulous from the top of the central axis; obturator present; style terminal, short; stigma punctiform. Fruit a drupe with 1 or (5)4 pyrenes or a broadly winged samara. Seeds with large embryo; cotyledons flattened, cordate; endosperm fatty, almost 0 to copious.