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Description:
Hermaphroditic (or andromonoecious?), unarmed, glabrous to pubescent, terrestrial, evergreen shrubs or trees (rarely half-woody subshrubs). Stems monocaulous to branched, pachycaulous. Leaves alternate, petiolate, the bases clasping, with 1 to several spiral or transverse crests or collars, stipules ligulate; blades simple or palmately lobed to compound or pedate, elliptic to ovate, obovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, oblong, or linear, membranaceous to subcoriaceous, margins entire or variously to toothed or pinnati-lobed; leaflets (if present) petiolulate. Inflorescence terminal, erect or somewhat pendant, compound umbellate (often on an elongated main axis), each ray terminating in three umbellules or capitula, the central unit formed of sterile flowers (which develop into seedless, baccate pseudo-fruits), and the two lateral units with perfect (or sometimes also staminate?) flowers; bracts present; pedicels slender to stout, or obsolete, unarticulated. Calyx obsolete; petals few to many, valvate, sympetalous and having distinct lobes; stamens 4–30; carpels 1–25+, ovaries inferior, styles absent (stigmas sessile and pustulate); the disc flattened. Fertile fruits drupes (sterile fruits berries), glabrous, globose to ellipsoid, terete to slightly compressed laterally, the endocarps crustaceous to woody; endosperm uniform or ruminate.
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