Description:

• Shrubs, trees, scramblers, or climbers, without spines, glabrous or pubescent
• Leaves alternate or sometimes crowded on abbreviated shoots, simple or 3-5-foliolate, sessile or petioled, variously shaped, margins entire
• Inflorescence axillary, solitary or fascicled or terminal racemes or corymbs
• Receptacle cylindrical, infundibular or campanulate, inner margin often produced into a coronate, annular, lobed or toothed disc
• Sepals 4
• Petals 0-4, arising from mouth of receptacle between much larger sepals
• Stamens many, borne on androphore (torus) equal or exceeding receptacle, exserted; anthers oblong, basifixed, with longitudinal dehiscence
• Ovary cylindrical or ellipsoid, 1- or 2-locular, with 4-many ovules in 2 rows on 2 placentas; stigma sessile, capitate
• Fruit globose, ovoid, ellipsoid, oblong-ellipsoid or cylindrical, sometimes moniliform
• Seeds subglobose, sometimes angled, smooth or rugose
• x = 10 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Maerua Forssk.
  • Forsskål: 104 (1775)
  • Gilg & Gilg-Benedict: 232 (1915)
  • Pax & Hoffmann: 195 (1936)
  • Phillips: 357 (1951)
  • Wild: 216 (1960)
  • Elffers et al.: 24 (1964)
  • Roessler: 13 (1966)
  • Killick: 39 (1969)
  • Killick: 159 (1970)
  • Thulin & Kers: 38 (1993)
• Niebuhria DC.
  • Candolle: 243 (1824).
• Courbonia Brongn.
  • Brogniart: 901 (1860)
  • Phillips: 356 (1951)
  • Wild: 214 (1960)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 100, tropical Asia, India and Africa
• Southern Africa: Species 11, widespread