Region: eastern Africa.
Genus: 10 species.
BotanyShrubs.
Stems: woody, erect, scandent or prostrate, shoots pubescent.
Leaves: petiolate, simple, entire, chartaceous to coriaceous, base attenuate, acute, or obtuse, apex attenuate to obtuse, pinnately veined, densely appressed pubescent to glabrous; solitary or fasciculate, 2 to 5 together on short pubescent shoots; lamina glabrous, adpressed silvery pubescent to villous on both sides.
Inflorescences: axillary or terminal on lateral branches, umbelliform to paniculate-thyrsiform, composed of cymose units; peduncle hidden among flowers or quite long; bracts present, deciduous or persistent.
Flowers: unisexual, dioecious, solitary or fasciculate 2--4 together in short pubescent lateral shoots; male flowers subsessile to pedicellate. Sepals 4--5, subequal or unequal, the two outer ones usually slightly
Fruits: enclosed in accrescent, chartaceous calyx; indehiscent; utricle or utricle-like; 1- or 2-locular, ovoid to ellipsoid, mostly chartaceous; with two or three outer segments larger than the inner two, sometimes the outer segments fused; the inner two usually remaining minute or much smaller than the outer segments, glabrous. Capsule ovoid to globose, 4-valved, glabrous.
Seeds: 1 to 4; trigonous-ovoid; brown to dark brown; reticulate.