Wood anatomy of 16 genera of the Pavetteae has been examined. Except for some general features of the Ixoroideae, such as solitary vessels, presence of fibre-tracheids, and the frequent occurrence of disjunctive ray parenchyma cell walls, diagnostic variation was found in axial parenchyma, rays, and crystal features. Special attention was given to the morphology of vestures associated with vessel pits and two vesture types were defined. The delimitation of an Ixora group is wood anatomically supported by the presence of small bands or lines of axial parenchyma, styloids or elongate crystals, predominantly uniseriate rays, and branched vestures that completely fill the pit chamber. It is suggested that these characters are derived. Wood of Duperrea is different in the ray composition and the presence of remarkable parenchyma bands; this corroborates an exclusion from the Pavetteae. Long chains of prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells occur mainly in Bridson's informal group I of Tarenna, but are also present in Nichallea and Pavetta.