Description: Dioecious trees with latex. Stipules free, lateral, ovate lanceolate, caducous.
Leaves alternate, spirally arranged or distichous; leaf blade simple to palmately lobed, margin toothed; primary veins 3–5 and plinerved, secondary veins pinnate.
Male inflorescences axillary, spicate or ± capitate, many-flowered. Female inflorescences densely capitate to ± elongated; bracts clavate, persistent. Male flowers: calyx (3 or) 4-lobed, valvate; stamens inflexed in bud. Female flowers: calyx lobes connate into a tube, apically entire or 3- or 4-lobed, persistent; ovary enclosed, stipitate; style lateral; stigma linear, often with vestigial second lobe at base.
Fruit densely aggregated into globose syncarp.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 8 species in warm tropics. Australia: 1 species naturalised, NSW, Qld.
Text by Louisa Murray
Taxon concept: Flora of China Volume 5.
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