牛筋藤属 niu jin teng shu

Shrubs, often scandent, ± evergreen, with latex; dioecious. Stipules lateral, caducous. Leaves alternate; leaf blade asymmetric, margin entire to inconspicuously toothed; veins pinnate. Male inflorescences axillary, spicate, catkinlike, branched or unbranched; peduncle short. Female inflorescences globose-capitate, surrounded by fleshy bracts, flowers mostly sterile with 1 or 2(-5) fertile. Male flowers: calyx 3- or 4-lobed, valvate; stamens inflexed in bud; pistillode small. Female flowers: calyx urceolate; style central, deeply 2-lobed, branches filiform. Fruit densely aggregated into globose or ± globose syncarp. Syncarp ± globose, enclosed by a persistent thin and fleshy calyx; pericarp thin, fleshy, ± connate with seed coats. Seed with endosperm thin or absent; cotyledons unequal, one large and split on one side, other small and folded around radicle; embryo globose to ovoid.

One species: Asia, Australia.

This monospecific genus is sometimes placed within the genus Trophis P. Browne.

Lower Taxon

• Malaisia scandens (Loureiro) Planchon