Description :

• Trees, shrubs, or rhizomatous shrublets
• Leaves often with glands at base; with 2 caducous stipules
• Flowers regular, in axillary cymes or corymbs
• Calyx 5-partite, with very short, campanulate tube; lobes equal or unequal
• Petals 5, equal, free, inserted on calyx tube, as long as calyx, sometimes clawed, emarginate or 2-lobed
• Disc of 5 free glands opposite petals or connate into a cup
• Stamens 5
• Ovary superior, 2- or 3(4)-locular; styles 1-3, free or connate, and 2- or 3(4)-lobed
• Fruit a leathery drupe with 1-3 one-seeded free pyrenes
• Seeds exalbuminous with thin testa
• x = 12 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Dichapetalum Thouars
  • Thouars: 23 (1806)
  • Torre: 319 (1963)
  • Breteler: 1 (1978)
  • Breteler: 1 (1982)
  • Breteler: 1 (1986)
• Chailletia DC.
  • Candolle: 153 (1811)
  • Harvey: 450 (1860)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species 124, 86 in Africa, 38 in neotropics and Asian tropics
• Southern Africa : Species 2, Namibia, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal

Additional Notes:

• Leaves and seeds of Dichapetalum cymosum (Hook.) Engl., Gifblaar, very poisonous as they contain fluoroacetic acid and pyridene alkaloids