Dioecious or polygamo-dioecious; cal none or minute; cor none; stamens 2-4; ovary 2-locular with 2 ovules per locule, that of the staminate fls none or vestigial; fr a small, black, usually 1-seeded drupe; shrubs or trees, often thorny, with simple lvs and lateral fascicles of nearly sessile fls or small lateral panicles; the fascicles of fls, subtended by bud-scales, are easily mistaken for single fls with numerous stamens and pistils. 15, N. Amer.

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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