Description :

• Trees, shrubs, or rhizomatous shrublets; sometimes very poisonous
• Leaves alternate, simple, entire, petiolate; stipules caducous
• Flowers bisexual or unisexual, regular or irregular; in corymbose cymes
• Sepals 5, free or partially connate, imbricate
• Petals 5, inserted with sepals, free or united with stamens into a tube, often narrow, 2-fid or 2-lobed
• Disc often of 5 free glands opposite petals, sometimes connate into an entire or lobed cup
• Stamens 5, alternating with petals, free or united; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits
• Ovary superior, 2- or 3(4)-locular, with 2 apical-axile pendulous ovules in each locule, often hairy; style mostly simple or 2- or 3(4)-fid
• Fruit a drupe with 1-3(4) one-seeded free pyrenes
• Seeds : embryo large, straight, oily; endosperm 0 or rarely present

Nomenclature:

• Dichapetalaceae
  • Harvey: 450 (1860) under Chailletiaceae
  • Torre: 319 (1963)
  • Breteler: 1 (1986)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Genera 3, species ± 160, circumtropical with few in subtropics
• Southern Africa : Genera 2, species 3

References:

• BRETELER, F.J. 1986. The African Dichapetalaceae IX. A taxonomic revision. Agricultural University Wageningen papers 86-3
• HARVEY, W.H. 1860. Chailletiaceae . Flora capensis 1
• TORRE, A.R.1963. Dichapetalaceae . Flora zambesiaca 2

Resources:

• Key to Dichapetalaceae genera

• Dichapetalaceae genera: