Description:

• Trees, deciduous; monoecious; branches with prominent leaf scars
• Leaves alternate (spiral), tufted at ends of branchlets, imparipinnate, with many opposite leaflets, usually with crenate margins; stipules 0
• Inflorescence axillary, of paniculate cymes
• Flowers usually unisexual, regular; flowers of only one sex open on a tree at a time
• Calyx of 4 free sepals
• Petals 4, free, imbricate, usually glandular at base within
• Disc fleshy, annular or swollen
• Stamens 4, alternating with petals, and arising on outside of disc; staminodes present in female flowers
• Ovary superior, 4-locular, 4-lobed, with solitary ovule in each locule; placentas axile; reduced in male flowers; style slender, with capitate stigma formed of 4 fused styles, caducous about middle with age and simulating 4 free, short styles, absent in male flowers
• Fruit dry, sharply 4-angled, at length separating into 4 or 8 1-seeded cocci, triquetrous, suspended from top of a central carpophore
• Seeds slender, triangular in cross section; endosperm ± 0

Classification Notes:

• Formerly usually included in Simaroubaceae. The proposed family status of Kirkiaceae near the Simaroubaceae (Takhtajan 1997) appears justified in the light of rbcL sequence data (Fernando et al. 1995)

Nomenclature:

• Kirkiaceae
  • Stannard: 829 (1981)
  • Fernando et al.: 102 (1995)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 2, species 4, tropical and southern Africa; one monotypic genus, Pleiokirkia Capuron in Madagascar
• Southern Africa: Genus 1, species 3

References:

• FERNANDO, E.S., GADEK, P.A. & QUINN, C.J. 1995. Simaroubaceae, an artificial construct: evidence from rbcL sequence variation. American Journal of Botany 82
• STANNARD, B. 1981. A revision of Kirkia (Simaroubaceae). Kew Bulletin 35

Resources:

• Kirkiaceae genus: Kirkia