Sphalanthus Jack
Large, woody climbers. Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes sub-opposite, elliptic oblong, or obovate, acuminate, entire, glabrous or hairy, petiolate. Flowers arranged in axillary or terminal spikes, bracteate, white or red, bisexual, actinomorphic, or slightly zygomorphic. Hypanthium hairy or glabrous, long and slender,. Calyx lobes caducous. Petals 5, much exceeding the calyx lobes. Stamens 10, short, arranged in 2 rows, inserted inside upper the mouth of hypanthium. Disc narrowly tublar or absent. Ovary unilocular, with 2–4 pendulous ovules from the apex of the locule, style filiform, adnate to calyx tube, stigma capitate. Fruit dry, oblong, coriaceous, pentangular or 5 winged. Seed one, longitudnally sulcate.
About 17 species, chiefly distributed in tropical and South Africa, Malysia, India, represented by one cultivated species in Pakistan.
