Herbs or subshrubs, unbranched or little branched, unarmed. Raphides absent. Leaves opposite and often clustered at ends of stems, without domatia; stipules persistent or deciduous, interpetiolar, triangular to oblong. Inflorescences terminal or sometimes displaced to pseudoaxillary, borne on principal stems or sometimes short shoots at stem apex or in 1 or both leaf axils, 1-flowered [or cymose to fasciculate and several flowered], bracteate [or bracts reduced]. Flowers pedicellate or subsessile, bisexual, apparently monomorphic. Calyx with ovary portion usually relatively prolonged; limb lobed essentially to base; lobes 4 or 5, often with 1 well-developed colleter in each sinus. Corolla pale green or white to blue or purple, funnelform to campanulate, glabrous inside; lobes 4 or 5, valvate or reduplicate-valvate in bud. Stamens 5, inserted near base of corolla tube, included or exserted; filaments short to well developed, glabrous, free or fused in basal portion; anthers linear, at apex with sharply acute or spurred appendage, these connate into a tube surrounding stigma and united with it at tops of both structures. Ovary 1-celled, ovules many per cell on 2 T-shaped parietal placentas; stigma 1, clavate, relatively large, 10-ridged, sometimes fused at top to anther appendages. Fruit baccate or perhaps occasionally tardily capsular with irregular dehiscence, fleshy, ovoid to cylindrical or turbinate, color not reported, with calyx limb persistent; seeds numerous, reddish brown or nearly black, small, compressed or lenticular; endosperm fleshy; embryo small, straight.
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