Fls unisexual, our spp. dioecious, (3)4-5-merous, the stamens as many as and alternate with the pet; carpels 2-5, the ovaries distinct, the styles coherent above; ovules 2, collateral, pendulous; fr from each carpel a firm-walled or somewhat fleshy follicle, dehiscent across the top, the 1 or 2 seeds often hanging from a long funiculus; shrubs or trees with prickly stems, alternate, odd-pinnately compound lvs and clusters of small greenish or whitish fls. 200+, mainly of warm reg.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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