Trees and shrubs. Leaves simple, opposite, rarely whorled, with interpetiolar stipules. Inflorescences axillary, of various types. Flowers bisexual (in ours), actinomorphic. Calyx gamosepalous; lobes 4-5(-7). Petals as many as calyx lobes and alternating with them, free. Stamens twice as many as petals or more. Ovary inferior to superior; style 1 (in ours). Fruit a berry, drupe or (in ours) a capsule. Seeds arillate.
The family includes three genera of mangroves in the FZ region, namely Bruguiera, Ceriops and Rhizophora. However, the Zimbabwean spp. all fall in the genus Cassipourea, most common in forests in the E Highlands.Worldwide: 15 genera and 120 species, mainly Old World tropics. |
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