Cuccuini, P. (1993) Thymelaeaceae in Flora of Somalia 1:200
Plants perennial, trees, shrubs, or herbs, from 0.3 to 20m tall. Leaves alternate or opposite, without stipules, sessile or shortly petiolate; blades simple, entire. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, sessile or pedunculate, in bracteate heads, spikes, racemes, panicles, rarely solitary. Flowers usually radially symmetric, bisexual or unisexual; perianth tube (hypanthium) tubular or funnel-shaped, often colorful; sepals 3-6, embryo straight. often colorful and corolla-like, usually imbricate; petals as many or twice as many as the calyx-lobes, often reduced or lacking. Stamens as many or twice as many as the sepals, inserted on the perianth tube, upper stamens opposite the sepals; anthers sessile or with short filaments, usually introrse, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 1-2(12)-celled, each cell with 1 ovule; style filiform, terminal or lateral; disk, if present, hypogynous, membranous or fleshy, ring- or cup-shaped. Fruit a berry, nut, drupe, or capsule; seed usually with a caruncle-like appendix, with or without endosperm; embryo straight.
The Thymelaeaceae includes about 50 genera and 700 species. It is almost global in its distribution but is most abundant in tropical and semitropical regions.
Most members of the family produce toxic substances.