Description:

• Lianas climbing by means of the winding ends of young branches, less often shrubs or small trees
• Leaves alternate, imparipinnate; leaflets entire, persistent or deciduous, petiolate; petiole pulvinate at base; stipules 0
• Inflorescences axillary or terminal racemes, panicles, or rarely in fascicles
• Flowers bisexual, or rarely unisexual, regular; androe-cium and gynoecium dimorphic
• Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, free or connate at base, caducous or often persistent and sometimes ± accrescent in fruit to strongly so
• Petals 5, free or sometimes slightly connate at middle, imbricate, rarely valvate
• Stamens 10, in 2 whorls, free or connate at base, the 5 outer episepalous longer than the 5 inner epipetalous ones, which are often imperfect, hypogynous; filaments free or united basally into a short tube; anthers dorsifixed, 2-thecous, dehiscing lengthwise, introrse
• Gynoecium superior, of (1-3)-5, free, hirsute, 1-locular carpels; ovules 2, collateral, nearly basal to nearly apical, anatropous to hemitropous
• Fruit of 1-5 follicles, sometimes connate at base, usually dehiscing by a ventral suture
• Seed 1(2) per follicle, with or without endosperm, hilum lateral to basal; testa partly to entirely fleshy, sarcotesta (aril) sometimes partly free

Nomenclature:

• Connaraceae
  • Brown: 431 (1818)
  • Gilg: 61 (1894)
  • Schellenberg: 311 (1915)
  • Mendes: 615 (1966)
  • Breteler: 1 (1989)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera ± 12, species 110-200, cosmopolitan in tropics and subtropics
• Southern Africa: Genera 2, species 2

References:

• BRETELER, F.J. (ed.) 1989. The Connaraceae. A taxonomic study with emphasis on Africa. Agricultural University Wageningen Papers 89-6
• BROWN, R. 1818. Connaraceae. In J.H.Tuckey, Narrative of an expedition to explore the river Zaire. John Murray, London
• GILG, E.F. 1894. Connaraceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,3
• MENDES, E.J. 1966. Connaraceae. Flora zambesiaca 2
• SCHELLENBERG, G. 1915. Connaraceae. In A. Engler, Die Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3,1. Engelmann, Leipzig

Resources:

• Key to Connaraceae genera

• Connaraceae genera: