Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4, very rarely alternate, petiolate. Inflorescence terminal, thyrsoid. Bracts present. Flowers 4-merous. Corolla usually white or creamy; tube cylindric. Stamens exserted. Ovary superior. Fruit a capsule about as long as the persistent calyx. Comment: Formerly placed in the families Loganiaceae or Buddlejaceae the most recent thinking places this genus in the family Stilbaceae. Worldwide: 15 species from southern Arabia to tropical Africa, the Mascarenes and South Africa Zimbabwe: 3 taxa. |