Diagnosis. – Sarcomphalus includes New World spe-
cies which were formerly placed in Ziziphus (except for two
Ziziphus species transferred to Pseudoziziphus, see above).
The species placed in Sarcomphalus are genetically clearly
distinct from Old World Ziziphus (Ziziphus s.str.), Paliurus, and
Pseudoziziphus. Sarcomphalus differs morphologically from
Paliurus by having fleshy drupes (dry drupes with membra-
nous rings in Paliurus), and from Pseudoziziphus by having
palmate leaf venation (pinnate in Pseudoziziphus) and occa-
sional stipular spines (always absent in Pseudoziziphus).
Description. – Shrubs or small to medium-sized trees, de-
ciduous, 1–10(–15) m tall, spinose. Stems and primary branches
with brownish or greyish bark, branchlets glabrous to pubes-
cent, often with short, leaf-baring shoots. Plants armed by
usually paired, non-leafy spines. Leaves deciduous, alternate
to subopposite, usually fascicled on short shoots, glabrous to
puberulent, simple but variable in shape. Leaf margin entire.
Venation palmate, 3-veined: one midvein and two additional
basal primary veins, but venation pinnate in Sarcomphalus
laurina, secondary veins conspicuous or inconspicuous. Pet-
ioles usually short, non-transformed stipules present, cadu-
cous. Infloresence a cyme. Peduncles 0.2–4 cm long. Flowers
5-merous, small. Hypanthium tube hemispheric. Sepals tri-
angular (1–3 mm), glabrous or pubescent, usually greenish
or yellowish. Petals present, cucullate, about as long as the
stamens, often equal in size to hemispheric sepals, clawed.
Stamens 5, antepetalous. Disk usually thickened, surrounding
but free from ovary. Ovary usually glabrous, 2(–3)-locular.
Style 2(–3)-lobed. Pedicels glabrous or pubescent. Drupe with
2(–3)-celled putamen containing 1–3 seeds.
Distribución:
Distribution. – Taxa of this genus are distributed through-
out subtropical and tropical America, including the Caribbean,
and rarely in temperate North America and south of the Tropic
of Capricorn (Fig. 2B).
Habitat. – Sarcomphalus species often grow in arid costal
shrub-dominated areas. Some species occur on humid slopes
in mountain ranges of South and Central America as well as
on the Caribbean islands.