The Family has undergone numerous revisions with genera moved in and out of it.
Over time it has been known as the Aristoteliaceae, Tiliaceae, Tetrathecaceae and Tremandraceae Family.
This accounts for the number of genera (8 to 20) and species (550 t0 615) seen.
The Missouri Botanical Gardens with Kew (Mobot) list 20 species.
Australia has 8 or 9 genera with around 77 to 100 species.
S.E. Queensland has 2 or 3 genera with 8 or 9 species.
They are mostly evergreen small shrubs to large trees.
Tree trunks may have a buttress base.
There may be stellate hairs or simple ones with or without glands.
The mostly alternately arranged leaves are spirally arranged in 2 ranks (distichous) but occasionally they are opposite.
They are sometimes concentrated near the ends of the branches and appear to be whorled.
The petiole may have stipules or glandular hairs (colleters) at the base.
The blades are typically simple but may be once divided (pinnate).
The edges are usually toothed or shallowly lobed (serrate or crenate).
There may be pores and domatia (pockets or pits with hairs in the vein axils on the lower surface).
The terminal or axillary inflorescences can be a single flower, a spike or a branched cluster (panicle).
The ultimate branches can be a cyme or raceme with flowers opening from the top or base of the branch first.
The calyx typically has 4 or 5 sepals in 1 whorl but occasionally there are 8 (10) in 2 whorls.
Segments in both whorls may be sepal-like.
Sepals are mostly free and may be toothed.
There is usually a corolla with 4 or 5 petals but occasionally there is none.
The pink, white or mauve petals are typically free.
The tip may be rounded, fringed or deeply lobed.
There may be a nectary between the petals and stamens and it can be a ring or discrete lobes.
Typically there are 4 or 5 stamens but occasionally up to 30.
Most are free of each other and the corolla.
The basifixed anthers typically open through 2 (1) apical pores or short slits.
Anthers may have an appendage at one or both ends.
The superior ovary has 2 to 10 (50) locules.
Each locule has 2 to many ovules with apical placentation.
When numerous they are in 2 rows.
The single apical style holds stigmas equal in number to the carpels.
Fruit can be a drupe, berry or loculicidal capsule with 1 to around 15 seeds per chamber.
J.F.
