Xantolis Raf., Sylv. Tell., 1838, 36 — Planchonella Pierre, p.p., Not. bot. Sapot., 1890, 34; Dubard, Ann. Mus. col. Mars. 20, 1912, 41; Lam, Ann. Jard. bot. Bzg, sér. 3, 7, 1925, 193; Lam, l.c., sér. 3, 8, 1927, 467 — Sideroxylon L., p.p., Engler, Nat. Pfl. Fam. 4, 1, 1897, 143 and Nachtrag, 1897, 27 — Hormogyne DC, p.p., Prodr. 8, 1844, 176 — Pouteria Aublet sensu Baehni, p.p., Candollea 9, 1942. Trees or shrubs, often spiny. Leaves alternate, estipulate, sometimes with the flowers conferted at the tips of brachyblasts, entire, with a marginal nerve, tertiary nervation transverse or reticulate, sparse, slender. Flowers ♂♀, 5-merous, solitary or clustered, axillary or sometimes along an axillary shoot, bracts small. Calyx with a short tube and mostly lanceolate lobes, marcescent. Corolla lobes longer than the tube. Stamens generally inserted at the base of the lobes, each with two small tufts of ferruginous hairs on either side of the base of the glabrous filaments, rarely only one hair, anthers sagittate, with prolonged connective, dehiscing extrorsely or slightly lateral. Staminodes petaloid, often long aristate, fimbriate-ciliate along the margin, except in X. racemosa (Dub.) van Royen and X. siamensis (Fletcher) van Royen in which the margin is either dentate or entire. Ovary 5-, rarely 4-celled, densely hirsute, disk absent; style long exsert, ovules inserted halfway up or at the base of the cells, funiculus often long. Fruits drupaceous, 1- or 2-seeded, seeds ellipsoid, laterally compressed, testa crustaceous, scar ovate or linear, as long as seed to 2/3 its length, or small and circular, basal, embryo with copious albumen and foliaceous cotyledons, radicle exserted.