Members: Orophea, Phaeanthus, Polyalthiopsis, Mezzettia.
Region: Southeast Asia, tropical South Asia.
Habitat: moist tropical forests; shaded understory.
BotanyTree; glabrous, but some species pubescent.
Leaves: simple, alternate, exstipulate, entire margins; venation pinnate.
Flowers: bisexual; actinomorphic.
Sepals: 3, often small and free.
Petals: 6, in 2 whorls of 3; usually similar, sometimes reflexed; valvate
Stamens: numerous, densely packed, with short filaments.
Carpels: free, apocarpous; many; 1 to few ovules, usually in two rows
Stigma: capitate or discoid
Fruit: apocarpous, monocarps; fleshy; indehiscent
Seeds: 1, rarely more; ellipsoid; endosperm ruminate; endocarp woody or crustaceous.
TaxonomyOropheae was identified through molecular phylogenetic studies as a distinct early-diverging clade within
Malmeoideae.
Oropheae shares some traits with
Miliuseae and
Duguetieae, but differs in petal uniformity and floral structure.