Herbaceous perennials, monoecious or dioecious, glabrous (leaves occasionally papillate). Latex absent. Leaves developed or rudimentary, when present alternate, stipulate, sessile or shortly petiolate, persistent or caducous, glabrous, smooth or papillate. Flowers usually pedunculate and pedicellate, sometimes ± sessile, in clusters or spikes, in leaf axils or terminal on branchlets, bracteate; perianth lacking a corolla; sepals fused into a cup-like tube proximally. Male flowers 3–5- (rarely 6-) merous; stamens (2–) 3–10, exserted; anthers 2-celled, pendant from the often glandular top of filaments, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Female flowers 4-or 5-merous; perianth persistent; lobes appressed to ovary (and fruit), fringed on upper margins. Ovary 3-locular; locules uniovulate; styles three, shortly fused or appressed at base, erect throughout or spreading distally, divided into two recurving lobes apically. Fruits capsular, deshiscing septicidally into three bivalved cocci; each valve with a distal, short, flap-like appendage and sometimes a second smaller one distal to it. Seeds ± ovoid to obloid, smooth or minutely pitted, carunculate, red-brown; endosperm copious.
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