Details
Trees, erect or scandent shrubs or woody climbers. Stem sometimes producing rootlets (Euonymus spp.), rarely buttressed at the base (Bhesa), or with aerophores, sometimes thorny (Maytenus spp.), sometimes with elastic or resinous threads in the leaves, inflorescence, floral parts, fruits, branchlets, showing on fractures. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral, decussate or opposite, sometimes fascicled on short branchlets; blade laminar, margins entire, crenate, serrate, or dentate, venation pinnate, secondary veins reticulate, sometimes black-dotted beneath; stipules small, simple or laciniate, caducous or absent. Inflorescence axillary, terminal or ramiferous cymose, thyrsoid, racemose, rarely paniculate or single-flowered. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual or unisexual. Calyx 4- or 5-lobed, imbricate, rarely valvate, persistent, united at the base. Petals 4 or 5, imbricate, contorted, rarely valvate, free, caducous, sometimes persistent, upper surface smooth, fimbriate or fleshy papilla-like appendages. Stamens (2-) 3-5, rarely 8-10, alternate with the petals, filaments inserted on or within the disk, caducous or persistent, free or rarely connate at the base; anthers 2-celled, rarely 1-celled, ovoid, ellipsoid or subglobose, rarely reniform, basifixed or dorsifixed, longitudinally or laterally dehiscent, introrse, extrorse, or latrorse. Disk often conspicuous, annular, fleshy or membranous, flat or cupular, lobed or dentate. Ovary immersed in the disk, sometimes concealed, glabrous, sometimes pubescent or covered with papilla-like processes at the base, 3-5 celled or rarely multicelled, stylous or rarely hollowed at the top, stigmas simple or 2-3 lobed, ovules usually 2 in each cell, sometimes 1-18, anatropous or pendulous. Fruits loculicidally dehiscent capsules, schizocarp of 2-5 indehiscent mericarps, drupe, berry, or samara with a single surrounding wing, rarely an indehiscent capsule or nut with lateral style, pericarp bony, leathery, chartaceous, or fleshy, smooth, angular, deeply lobed, or connate, rarely chinate, laterally winged. Seeds 1-12, smooth or furrowed, albuminous or exalbuminous, sometimes winged, wing membranous, basal, exarillate or aril basal to completely enveloping seed, aril membranous, fleshy, rarely mucilaginous; cotyledons flat, foliaceous or thick, connate, germination epigeous.