Description:

• Small trees or scrambling shrubs; dioecious or polygamous
• Leaves alternate, simple, usually glandular-serrate, penninerved, midrib and lateral veins prominent below, often with domatia in axils; stipules usually 0 or minute
• Inflorescences dense, much branched, axillary panicles, shorter than leaves
• Flowers bisexual, sometimes unisexual, ± regular, small
• Calyx: tube obconic, adnate to ovary; lobes 5, subulate, distant, triangular at base, puberulous, persistent
• Petals 5, ± free, ovate-deltoid, perigynous, broad at base and confluent with epigynous disc, valvate, puberulous, persistent
• Stamens 5, alternating with petals, inserted at margin of disc; filaments subulate, villous; anthers dorsifixed, villous, small, ovoid, the thecae separated by a thick connective
• Ovary partly inferior, 2-locular; ovules many on axile placentas; styles 2, subulate, adherent or diverging; stigmas capitate
• Fruit a small leathery capsule, half-inferior, 2-locular, dehiscing septicidally through persistent styles, many-seeded
• Seeds small, irregularly obovoid or oblong-obovoid, sculptured, slightly curved; testa black; endosperm copious; embryo small or large

Classification Notes:

• Choristylis is sometimes placed in the Grossulariaceae in a broad sense (Cronquist 1981; Mabberley 1997) but is retained here in Escalloniaceae (as by Verdcourt 1973; Brummitt 1992)
• Choristylis and Itea are sometimes placed in the small family Iteaceae (Airy Shaw 1973), mainly because of their extraordinary 2-porate subisopolar pollen grains

Nomenclature:

• Escalloniaceae
  • Dumortier: 35, 37 (1829) as Escalloneae
  • Harvey: 305 (1862) as Saxifragaceae
  • Hooker: 629 (1865)
  • Engler: 211 (1928) as Saxifragaceae subfamily Escallonioideae
  • Airy Shaw: 248 (1973) as Iteaceae
  • Verdcourt: 1 (1973) as Escalloniaceae
  • Brummitt: 564 (1992) as Escalloniaceae
  • Mabberley: 267 (1997) as Grossulariaceae

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera ± 9, species ± 150; tropical and south temperate, mainly in South America and Australia, also eastern and central tropical and southern Africa
• Southern Africa: Genus 1, species 1

References:

• AIRY SHAW, H.K. 1973. Iteaceae. In J.C. Willis, A dictionary of the flowering plants and ferns, edn 8. University Press, Cambridge
• BRUMMITT, R.K. 1992. Escalloniaceae. Vascular plant families and genera. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• CRONQUIST, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants. Columbia University Press, New York
• DUMORTIER, B.C.J. 1829. Escalloniaceae. Analyse des familles des plantes: 35, 37. Casterman, Tournay
• ENGLER, A. 1928. Saxifragaceae Subfamily Escallonioideae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edn 2, 18a
• HARVEY, W.H. 1862. Saxifragaceae. Flora capensis 2
• HOOKER, J.D. 1865. Saxifrageae. In G. Bentham & J. D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 1,2. Lovell Reeve & Co., London
• MABBERLEY, D.J. 1997. The plant-book, edn 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• VERDCOURT, B. 1973. Flora of tropical East Africa. Escalloniaceae

Resources:

• Escalloniaceae genus: Choristylis