The order Myrtales: circumscription, variation and relationships

Tree up to 12 m high; young shoots terete or slightly oval in transversal section, glabrous. Leaves opposite, decussate, simple, entire, coriaceous, more or less sessile when young, later shortly petiolate, elliptic to oblong; stipules rudimentary, marcescent. Inflorescence a multi floral, anthotelic panicle, mainly terminal. Flowers small, bisexual, actinomorphic, usually hexamerous, obhaplostemonous, with short hypanthium, slightly perigynous; sepals valvate, broad-based, triangular, and recurved at anthesis, persistent; petals white, distinct, narrowly clawed, with sub-orbicular lacerate lamina, thin, caducous, in bud hood-like, covering the anthers; stamens antepetalous, arising immediately below the petals on inner rim of hypanthium, incurved in bud; filaments more or less terete, longer than anthers; anthers sub-basi fixed, versatile, tetrasporangiate, introrse, longitudinally dehiscent; connective elliptical; disc 0; ovary superior, 2(-3)-carpellate, 2(-3)-locular, dorsiventrally compressed; style stout, shorter than ovary, basal part persistent; stigma capitate, papillate; ovules 15–20 per locule, bitegmic, anatropous, crassinucellate, superposed in a single vertical series per locule; placentation axile. Fruit a dorsiventrally compressed capsule, loculicidal at apex, reddish brown. Seeds depressedovoid, narrowly winged; seed coat thin and papery, rather smooth, brownish; embryo more or less flattened; cotyledons folded; endosperm 0.