About 250 species of evergreen, small trees, shrubs, subshrubs, some more or less climbing. Leaves simple, in spirals or whorls, short petioles, margins entire or toothed. Flowers small, white, pink, or violet, in pendulous clusters (corymbs), calyx and corolla 5-parted, 5 stamens. Fruit a small, globose, fleshy drupe, 1-seeded. Native to tropical and warm temperate areas of Asia, Australia and the Americas.
Ardisia: from Latin ardis, a point, a reference to the acutely pointed anthers.
Pronunciation:
ar-DIZ-i-a
Family:
Myrsinaceae