Description:

• Trees, shrubs, herbs, often hemiparasitic on roots of other plants
• Leaves alternate or opposite, simple, entire, often glabrous, reduced to scales in parasites; stipules 0
• Inflorescences axillary or terminal spikes, racemes or capitate
• Flowers bisexual or unisexual, regular, epigynous, usually small, greenish or white
• Perianth 1-whorled; tube short and cylindrical to slender, obconic; perianth lobes 3-5(6), valvate, glabrous, often fleshy, adnate to ovary, usually with a tuft of hairs inside at back of anthers
• Stamens as many as perianth lobes, arising on perianth tube opposite to and below perianth lobes; filaments free, short, slender; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally
• Disc epigynous or perigynous, prominent or obscure
• Ovary inferior to half-inferior, of 3-5 fused carpels, 1-locular; ovules (1)2-5, but only 1 develops, pendulous from apex of a free-central placenta, anatropous, unitegmic; style short or cylindrical, simple; stigma terminal, capitate or 2-5-lobed
• Fruit indehiscent, a nut or a drupe
• Seed 1, globose or ovoid; without a testa; endosperm copious, fleshy, oily or starchy; embryo central, oblique

Nomenclature:

• Santalaceae
  • Brown: 350 (1810)
  • Candolle: 619 (1857)
  • Bentham: 217 (1880)
  • Hieronymus: 202 (1889)
  • Pilger: 52 (1935)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera ± 36; species ± 500, in subtropical and temperate regions of both hemispheres
• Southern Africa: Genera 5, species ± 200

References:

• BENTHAM, G. 1880. Santalaceae. In G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 3. Lovell Reeve & Co., London
• BROWN, R. 1810. Santalaceae. Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae van-Diemen 1. Johnson & Co., London
• CANDOLLE, A.L.P.P. DE. 1857. Santalaceae. In A.P. de Candolle, Prodromus 14. Masson & Sons, Paris
• HIERONYMUS, G. 1889. Santalaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien III,1
• PILGER, R. 1935. Santalaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 2,16b

Resources:

• Key to Santalaceae genera

• Santalaceae genera: