Chloranthaceae

The Chloranthaceae is a family of flowering plants that represents a basal branch of the angiosperm tree. This family consists of about 75 species across four genera: Ascarina, Chloranthus, Hedyosmum, and Sarcandra. These plants are typically soft-wooded, aromatic shrubs or trees with opposite, saw-toothed leaves and swollen nodes. Their flowers are small, often unisexual, and usually lack petals, though they may have leaflike bracts. The flowers can have one to five stamens or a single carpel that develops into a drupe. While found pantropically, they are absent from mainland Africa, though present in Madagascar. Some species, like Chloranthus, have been used medicinally for tea and to combat fevers.1