Celastraceae
Shrubs, trees or woody climbers. Lvs alternate or opposite, simple; stipules small or 0. Infl. usually cymose. Fls ⚥ or unisexual, actinomorphic, 4-5-merous, with a well marked fleshy disc. Petals usually small and greenish, rarely 0. Calyx and petals usually imbricate, rarely valvate. Stamens usually 4-5, very rarely 10, opposite calyx lobes. Ovary superior, 1-5-locular; ovules 1-2-(many) in each loculus. Stigma capitate or 2-5-lobed. Fr. a loculicidal or indehiscent capsule, samara, drupe or berry. Seeds often surrounded by an aril; embryo straight, surrounded by endosperm.
55 genera, 850 spp., cosmopolitan, but mainly tropical and subtropical.
