in botany; a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the pentandra class of plants. The calyx is pentaphyllous, inferus and deciduous. The petals are five in number; the style thread-shaped; the capsule somewhat angular, trilocular, and contain three or four angulated seeds, adhering to the capsule by means of a liquid resin in the locules. Of this there are three species, viz. 1. Tenifolium. 2. Umbellatum. 3. Coriaceum. The first and second are natives of the Cape of Good Hope; the third grows in Madeira, and flowers in May and June.