Compilation
Celastrus saharae

Shrub or tree or rarely a shrublet, (0·15)1–9(15) m. high, unarmed or with spines up to 4 cm. long, axillary or terminating short axillary branches, glabrous, without latex; branches unlined, ± flattened, reddish-purple to reddish-brown, often densely glaucous, and sometimes with numerous pale indistinct lenticels at first, becoming terete and eventually grey-brown. Leaves fasciculate or not, petiolate;lamina pale green, usually glaucous, sometimes with reddish midrib, often mottled (at least when dry), 2–11·6 × 0·4–5·7(6·3) cm., oblong or rarely ovate to obovate or oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic or rarely subcircular, rounded or retuse to obtuse or apiculate at the apex, with margin ± densely regularly obtusely serrulate or serrulate-crenulate to subentire or very rarely entire, cuneate to angustate at the base, coriaceous or subcoriaceous, with lateral nerves and relatively lax reticulate venation slightly prominent or not prominent; petiole 3–13(20) mm. long. Cymes dichasial at first, becoming monochasial, solitary and axillary or 1–6 on short axillary shoots or occasionally in axillary panicles, with peduncle 1–16 mm. long;pedicels 0·7–4(6) mm. long, articulated in the lower 1/3 or rarely 1/2; flowers 3–60 or more in each cyme, 2–6 mm. in diam., dioecious or rarely monoecious, scented. Sepals 5, subequal, 0·3–1·2 mm. long, oblong-lanceolate to ovate-triangular or subcircular, obtuse to rounded with margin ciliolate. Petals 5, white or greenish-white to pale yellow, sometimes tinged pink, 1–3·5 mm. long, elliptic to oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, with margin finely ciliolate. Male flowers with stamens 5, shorter than the petals, with filaments 0·5–1 mm. long, slender, arising below disk;disk relatively broad, flat or slightly concave, shallowly 5–10-lobed; pistillode small, globose. Female flowers with staminodes 5, shorter than ovary; disk as in male flowers; ovary 2(3)-locular, globose, scarcely immersed in the disk; style about as long as ovary, 2(3)-fid at the apex, with small stigmas. Capsule pink to deep red, 2–6 mm. long, globose to pyriform, coriaceous, smooth. Seeds 1–2, dark reddish-brown, glossy, with a fleshy smooth rose-pink aril obliquely covering the lower1