Thulin, M. (1999) Kirkiaceae in Flora of Somaliland 2: 182-183
Plants trees or shrubs, unarned. Leaves alternate, crowded at the ends of shoots, without stipules; blades odd-pinnate. Inflorescences axillary dichasia. Flowers radially symmetric, bisexual or unisexual; sepals 4, united at the base; petals 4, free, imbr icate, much longer than the calyces; stamens 4, inserted at the base of an annular disk, much reduced in female flowers; ovaries superior, reduced to pistillodes in male flowers, carpels 4-8, with 1-2 ovules per cell; styles slender, coherent or united; stigmas coherent, capitate or cylindric. Fruits woody, angular, splitting longitudinally into trigonous mericaprs suspended from the top of a central carpophore, each mericarp with the base of its style reflexing back from the top; seeds slender, slightly curved, triangular in cross-section, broad and rounded at one end, tapering to a point at the other,.
The familly Kirkiaceae is includes two genera Kirkia of tropical Africa and Pleinkirkia of Madagascar.