4303.000 Breynia J. Forst. & G. Forst.

Shrubs or trees. Stipules triangular, caducous. Leaves simple, alternate, distichous, petiolate; lamina entire, adaxially often drying to blackish; pinnately veined. Inflorescence axillary, male few-flowered clusters in proximal axils, female flowers solitary in distal axis; calyx turbinate, funnelform, or hemi-spheric; fleshy apex usually 6-lobed, lobes usually incurved concealing stamens; petals absent; disc lobes scale-like, at base of calyx lobes. Fruit usually berries, globose or depressed globose, red, indehiscent. Seeds sharply 3-angled, yellow or reddish.

Worldwide: 26-30 species in tropical Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands.

Zimbabwe: 2 cultivated taxa.