Gonostegia Turcz., Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou. 19(2): 509. 1846; Jiarui et al., Fl. China @ eFloras.org 5: 178.

Perennial herbs or subshrubs. Leaves opposite or sometimes alternate in upper stems; stipules often persistent, lateral, interpetiolar, free. Leaf blade 3(-5)-veined, margin entire, cystoliths punctiform. Inflorescence axillary, flowers unisexual, male and female flowers in glomerules, plants monoecious or dioecious. Male Flowers: Subglobose, apex abruptly truncate. Perianth (3 or) 4 or 5, usually free, valvate, segments angled, transversely crested or villous. Stamens as many as perianth lobes; filaments inflexed in bud. Pistillode present. Female Flowers: Perianth tubular, often ovoid and beaked, constricted and 2-4 toothed at apex. Staminodes absent. Ovary included, unilocular, ovule 1, erect; style present; stigma filiform, villous along 1 side, deciduous with style. Achene enclosed by marcescent, always acrcrescent and often longitudinally winged or ribbed perianth. Pericarp often crustaceous, lustrous.

3 species

Gonostegia pentandra (Roxb.) Miq., Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi. 4: 302. 1870; Rehman et al., Jahangir Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 7(2): 115-119. 2018; Pouzolzia pentandra (Roxb.), Fl. Ind. ed 3: 583. 1832.

Perennial, erect herbs, up to 1 m tall, monoecious. Stem cylindrical in lower part and 4- sided above, glabrous, red. Lower leaves opposite, upper subopposite to alternate, sessile to petiolate, petiole up to 2 mm long; leaf blade of lower leaves 4.5-5 x 0.6-1 cm, lanceolate, leaves becoming gradually small towards apex, upper leaves 0.7-3 x 0.2-0.5 cm, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate to ovate, both surfaces glabrous, lepidolate abaxially, 3-nerved, margin entire or serrulate, apex acute, bases rounded to subcordate. Stipules ovate, 1-2 mm. Inflorescence axillary, (1-)5-8 unisexual flowers in clusters, male, female or both (occasionally flowers solitary males); flowers in the axils of only upper leaves. Male Flowers: Pedicellate, pedicels 2-3 mm long; perianth (calyx) light green or greenish white; lobes 5, ca. 1.5 mm x 0.6 mm, apex truncate, ciliate, 2-3 cilia. Stamens 5, anthers bithecous, dorso-ventral, 0.2-0.5 mm x 0.1-0.2 mm; filaments 1-1.2 mm long. Female Flowers: Sessile. Calyx tubular-ventricose, with 2 teeth at apex, enclosing ovary; ovary ca. 1 mm long; style terminal, ca. 3.5 mm long, laterally villous and stigmatic, deciduous, ovule solitary, basal. Fruit an achene, black, shiny, ca. 1.5 mm long, beaked, enclosed by persistent calyx, longitudinally 2-3 winged.

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