Trees small, shrubs, or vines, erect or scandent, evergreen or deciduous. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate; leaf blade odd-pinnate, 3-foliolate, or 1-foliolate; leaflets subopposite or alternate, usually leathery, margin entire, rarely lobulate. Inflorescences terminal, pseudoterminal, or axillary, paniculate or racemose, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic, small. Sepals (4 or)5, free or united at very base only, imbricate or valvate, persistent and clasping base of fruit. Petals (4 or)5, free, rarely slightly connate at middle, imbricate or valvate, rarely circinate. Stamens 5–10, hypogynous or perigynous, in 2 whorls alternately longer and shorter, those opposite petals often shorter and abortive; filaments free or shortly connate at base; anthers didymous, dorsifixed in proximal 1/2, introrse, short, dehiscing longitudinally. Disk thin or absent, surrounded by base of stamens. Carpels (1–) 5(–8), free, 1-celled, hirsute. Style subulate or filiform; stigma subcapitate, simple or 2-lobed. Ovules 2 in each carpel (1 sometimes sterile), collateral, erect. Fruit a usually solitary follicle, sessile or stipitate, dehiscing usually along adaxial suture, sometimes along abaxial one, very rarely circumscissile at base, sometimes indehiscent. Seed 1(or 2), erect, usually arillate, rarely exarillate; testa thick; aril colored, fleshy; endosperm present or absent; embryo straight; cotyledons thick and fleshy in exalbuminous seeds, thin in albuminous ones.

Source: [
• 1
• 5
]. 

Stamens hypogynous to perigynous, often declinate, 5 or 10; filaments often united at the base; anthers 2–celled, opening lengthwise

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Petals 5, free or sometimes slightly connate, imbricate or rarely valvate

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Calyx imbricate or valvate

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Ovules 2, collateral, erect, attached near the base or the middle of the ventral suture, all or only 1 ripening into fruit

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Fruit often splitting down one side exposing the seed

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Disk absent or thin

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Carpels 1–5, free, 1–celled

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Seeds usually 1, with or without endosperm, often arillate

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Erect trees or shrubs, or scandent

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Leaves alternate, compound, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate; stipules absent

Source: [
• 2
]. 

Carpels 5 or solitary, rarely 3, free, 1-locular; apparently all fertile but only 1–3 ripening into fruit; ovules 2, collateral, erect, attached at the base, near the base or near the middle of the ventral suture

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Disk absent or thin

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Seed usually 1 in each follicle, with or without endosperm, often arillate or pseudarillate

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Fruit usually follicular, dehiscing by the ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes, rarely rhizomatous shrublets

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Petals 5, free or slightly connate near the base, imbricate or rarely valvate

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Leaves alternate, imparipinnate or 1–3-foliolate, leaflets entire; stipules absent

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Flowers usually bisexual, actinomorphic or subzygomorphic; androecium and gynoecium usually dimorphic

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Stamens 10 or 5, hypogynous to perigynous; filaments often united at the base; anthers 2-thecous, dorsifixed, with longitudinal introrse dehiscence

Source: [
• 3
]. 

Endosperm abundant, rudimentary or absent; cotyledons plano-convex, fleshy, or much flattened and small; radicle apical or laterally displaced

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Seed solitary, with ± fleshy aril covering part or all of the seed; aril free or sometimes fused with testa to form a compound fleshy pseudo-aril

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Fruit usually follicular, dehiscence by ventral suture, sometimes indehiscent or dehiscence irregular

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Carpels 5 or solitary, rarely 3, free; ovules normally 2, basal or attached to ventral suture, collateral, anatropous or orthotropous, erect. All carpels apparently fertile but usually only 1–3 mature

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Petals 5, free or lightly connate near base

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Stamens 10, 5 episepalous longer than 5 epipetalous, the latter sometimes reduced and staminodal; filaments free or connate into a short tube at base; anthers dorsifixed, usually with longitudinal introrse dehiscence

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Sepals 5, imbricate or valvate, usually free

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Erect or scandent shrubs, small trees or lianes

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Leaves alternate, unifoliolate or imparipinnate; stipules and stipellae absent

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Inflorescence terminal or axillary, paniculate or racemose, often fascicled in axils of older leaves or on older branchlets

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely dioecious,1 actinomorphic, usually pentacyclic, androecium and gynoecium often dimorphic or heteromorphic

Source: [
• 4
]. 

Lianes , suffrutex lianeux ou petits arbustes.'Feuilles'alternes, composées, imparipennées ou unifoliolées; stipules et stipelles absentes.'Inflorescences'en racèmes ou panicules, terminales ou axillaires, quelquefois en glomérules, souvent fasciculées sur les vieux rameaux à l'aisselle des feuilles tombées, quelquefois caulinaires.'Fleurs'☿, rarement ♂ ♀ 1, actinomorphes, 5-cycliques ou 4-cycliques; sépales 5, nettement ou légèrement imbriqués ou valvaires, libres, rarement soudés; pétales 5, libres ou ± coalescents à la base; étamines 5+5, rarement 4+4, les internes épipétales plus petites que les externes épisépales, quelquefois staminodiales; filets légèrement soudés à la base; anthères le plus souvent dorsifixes, à déhiscence longitudinale interne; carpelles 5 ou 1, très rarement 3 1, libres; ovules 2 par carpelle, dressés et collatéraux, attachés à la base ou au milieu de la suture ventrale, anatropes ou suborthotropes.'Follicules'1 ou plusieurs à maturité, parfois à déhiscence irrégulière ou indéhiscents.'Graines solitaires par follicule, rarement géminées; arille basal ou couvrant presque entièrement la graine ou testa ± charnu; endosperme copieux, rudimentaire ou absent.\n\t\t\tVingt-quatre genres comprenant environ 410 espèces principalement répandues dans les régions tropicales. Seize genres et environ 170 espèces en Afrique dont près de 140 en Afrique tropicale occidentale. Au Congo belge, on compte 12 genres, 62 espèces et 3 variétés; aucun groupe n'est signalé au Ruanda-Urundi. Le matériel africain se caractérise par sa grande homogénéité. La plupart des genres sont assez bien délimités mais il n'en est pas de même pour les espèces.

Source: [
• 6
].