Shrubs or subshrubs, without stinging hairs. Leaves alternate, petiolate; stipules deciduous, intrapetiolar, 2-cleft; leaf blade greenish on both surfaces, 3-veined, base symmetric, margin dentate; cystoliths punctiform. Inflorescences in axillary pairs, dichotomous cymes, unisexual or androgynous (plants monoecious or partially hermaphroditic), bracts scale-like. Bisexual flowers: perianth lobes 5, joined for ca. 1/2 of length; stamens 5; ovary and style as in female flowers. Male flowers: perianth lobes (4 or)5, connate ca. 1/2 of length, valvate, stamens (4 or)5; filaments inflexed in bud; rudimentary ovary obovoid, apex with a reduced stigma, densely white woolly at base. Female flowers: perianth tubular, membranous, constricted at mouth, apex 4(or 5)-toothed; staminodes absent. Ovary included by free perianth, sessile; style short; stigma ligulate, papillose on 1 side, persistent; ovule orthotropous. Achene nutlike, ovoid, enclosed by marcescent perianth. Seeds with oily endosperm; cotyledons small, suborbicular.
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