The flowers are unisexual, apetalous, and grouped in clusters. The flowers are apetalous and unisexual and borne in panicles. Supersection "Cicea" includes 19 species, with apetalous flowers. The apetalous flowers are in small panicles. The perfect flowers are small, purple-brown and, being wind-pollinated, apetalous. The genus is hermaphroditic, having apetalous perfect flowers which are wind-pollinated. The apetalous flowers are produced in small catkin-like inflorescences. Flowers unisexual, apetalous, disc absent. The perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers appear in early March. The perfect apetalous wind-pollinated flowers appear in March in England. The perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers appear in mid March in the UK. The wind-pollinated apetalous flowers appear on the second-year twigs in February. The apetalous wind-pollinated perfect flowers are produced in early autumn, small and inconspicuous. The small, reddish-purple hermaphrodite apetalous flowers appear in early spring before the leaves. The perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers emerge in early spring, before the leaves.