Description:

• Trees, shrubs or soboliferous dwarf shrubs, glabrous, forming a yellow pigment in the bark
• Leaves shortly petiolate, with primary lateral nerves curving upwards, almost parallel to margin, margin closely serrulate with gland-tipped teeth; petioles short; stipules deeply divided into subulate segments, persistent at least on first-year shoots
• Flowers variously arranged, usually in axillary fascicles or reduced to 1 flower; bracts resembling stipules
• Sepals (4)5, imbricate in bud, white or pink in flower, enlarging and becoming red and coriaceous in fruit
• Petals (4)5, white or pale pink, fugaceous
• Stamens 10-20, free; filaments persistent, slender, ± as long as anthers; anthers opening by longitudinal slits, caducous
• Carpels 5-10, 1-ovulate, attached basally to receptacle; style entire; stigma capitate
• Drupelets globose, shiny-black, attached basally to the red swollen torus
• Seeds without endosperm, embryo curved around an internal projection of the endocarp

Nomenclature:

• Brackenridgea A.Gray
  • Gray: 361, t. 42 (1854)
  • Robson: 252 (1963)
  • Du Toit & Obermeyer: 12 (1976)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 12, SE Asia and Australia, 4 in Africa and Madagascar
• Southern Africa: Species 2, Namibia and Northern Province; usually in sandy soil