Flora of New Zealand Series

Evergreen trees or shrubs. Lvs simple, usually alternate, rarely subopposite or subverticillate, mostly with gland-tipped teeth; stipules 0. Fls mostly in racemes or panicles, sometimes in fascicles or solitary, regular, usually 5-merous, usually ⚥, rarely unisexual. Sepals mostly united in lower part, rarely free, imbricate or valvate, often persistent. Petals usually free, rarely connate into a short tube, imbricate or valvate. Stamens (4)-5-(6), sometimes alternating with staminodes; filaments free; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally; disc lobes alternating with stamens. Ovary 1-6-locular, superior or inferior, surmounted by a variously shaped disc; ovules 1 and pendulous, or few to numerous and parietal in the 1-locular ovaries, otherwise in central placentas, anatropous. Fr. a capsule, drupe or berry; seeds with copious endosperm.

c. 10 genera, c. 150 spp., tropics and S. temperate.

Along with several other families, the Escalloniaceae is sometimes united with Saxifragaceae as subfamily Escallonioideae. It remains unclear whether any of the indigenous genera should be referred to the Escalloniaceae.