Citation: Schott & Endl., Melet. Bot. 34 (1832).

Derivation: From Greek brachys, short; chiton, an outer garment; alluding to the loose outer covering of the seed.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Largely glabrous trees; leaves with caducous stipules, entire to deeply palmatifid, on long petioles, sometimes absent during flowering.

flowers unisexual, in axillary panicle-like cymes; bracts early caducous; epicalyx 0; calyx petaloid, more or less deeply 5-lobed; petals absent; stamens united in a staminal column beating the numerous anthers in 5 bundles which appear to be united in a globular head; anthers extrorse; female flowers with an ovary of 5 pubescent carpels raised on a gynophore and with 5 bundles of staminodes at their base; ovules numerous, in 2 rows along the ventral suture of each carpel; styles 5, at first united under the 5 small capitate stigmas.

Fruit of 5 or fewer hard ovoid beaked stalked follicles; seeds few or several, each with a loose brittle stellate-hairy outer coat derived from the inner tissues of the follicles and adhering to form cells enclosing the seeds.

Distribution:  About 30 species, endemic to Australia but absent from Tas.

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available