Bridelia Willd.

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Habit

Monoecious, or rarely dioecious shrubs or trees.

Indumentum

Indumentum simple.

Stem

Trunk and branches sometimes armed with blunt thorns.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, shortly petiolate, stipulate, simple, entire or more or less so, penninerved; lateral nerves straight, arched or looped, tertiary nerves usually parallel.

Flowers

Flowers small, axillary, glomerulate or fasciculate, sometimes in spikes or panicles of glomeruliform fascicles. Male flowers in many-flowered fascicles, sometimes with 1–2 female flowers admixed, sessile, subsessile or shortly pedicellate; sepals (4)5, valvate; petals 5, small, inflexed and not contiguous or imbricate; disk annular or cupuliform, entire or sinuate; stamens 5, filaments united below into a short column, free and spreading above, anthers horizontal, basifixed, the thecae parallel, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode at the top of the column ampulliform, entire or 2–4-lobed. Female flowers few per cluster or solitary, sometimes pedicellate; sepals and petals perigynous, otherwise ± as in female; outer disk annular, inner encasing the ovary; ovary 2(3)-locular, ovules 2 per locule; styles 2(3), free or connate at the base, bifid or subentire.

Bracts

Bracts small, scale-like.

Fruits

Fruit drupaceous and indehiscent or else dehiscent; exocarp thin; mesocarp fleshy; endocarp crustaceous, 1- or 2-locular.

Seeds

Seeds solitary per locule by abortion, plano-convex and longitudinally grooved in 2-locular fruits, C-shaped in transverse section and hollowly cylindrical, split down one side in 1-locular fruits; albumen copious, fleshy; embryo curved; cotyledons broad, foliaceous, thin.

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Habit

Monoecious or rarely dioecious shrubs or trees with a simple indumentum

Branches

Branches sometimes armed with blunt woody thorns

Twigs

Twigs lenticellate

Leaves

Leaves alternate, shortly petiolate, stipulate, simple, usually entire, penninerved, the nerves straight, arched or looped, the tertiary nerves usually parallel

Flowers

Flowers small, axillary, solitary, glomerulate or fasciculate, or in spikes or panicles of glomerulate fascicles Female flowers in few-flowered clusters or solitary, sometimes pedicellate; sepals and petals perigynous, otherwise ± as in the male; outer disc annular, inner disc lobed or cupular and embracing the ovary; ovary 2(–3)-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2(–3), free or connate at the base, bifid or subentire Male flowers in many-flowered glomeruli, sometimes with 1–2 ♀ flowers admixed, sessile or subsessile; sepals 5, valvate; petals 5, small, inflexed over the disc or quincuncially imbricate; disc annular or cupuliform, entire or sinuate; stamens 5, filaments united below into a short column, free and spreading above, anthers horizontal, basifixed, the thecae parallel, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode at the top of the staminal column, ampulliform, entire or 2–4-lobate

Bracts

Bracts small, scaly

Male

Male flowers in many-flowered glomeruli, sometimes with 1–2 ♀ flowers admixed, sessile or subsessile; sepals 5, valvate; petals 5, small, inflexed over the disc or quincuncially imbricate; disc annular or cupuliform, entire or sinuate; stamens 5, filaments united below into a short column, free and spreading above, anthers horizontal, basifixed, the thecae parallel, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode at the top of the staminal column, ampulliform, entire or 2–4-lobate

Female

Female flowers in few-flowered clusters or solitary, sometimes pedicellate; sepals and petals perigynous, otherwise ± as in the male; outer disc annular, inner disc lobed or cupular and embracing the ovary; ovary 2(–3)-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2(–3), free or connate at the base, bifid or subentire

Fruits

Fruit a small, smooth, ovoid or globose berry or drupe, indehiscent, or else dehiscent; exocarp fleshy or pulpy; endocarp crustaceous, forming 2 (or by abortion 1) pyrenes

Seeds

Seeds often by abortion solitary in each pyrene, plano-convex and adaxially longitudinally grooved (2 pyrenes) or else U-shaped in transverse section and adaxially deeply excavate (1 pyrene); albumen copious, fleshy; embryo slightly or strongly curved; cotyledons broad, foliaceous, thin.