Schaefferia

Description

Schaefferia is a genus of flowering shrubs and small trees in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. The generic name honours German mycologist and clergyman Jacob Christian Schäffer (1718–1790). Members of the genus are found in the Neotropics. The plants are dioecious, with flowers that are unisexual by abortion. The flowers are usually clustered in the leaf axil, although they are solitary in some species. The calyx of the flowers has four lobes, and the corolla consists of four petals. The ovary consists of two locules; each locule has a single ovule which develops into a single seed. The fruit is a drupe.