Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, short-to long-petiolate, the stipules early caducous, the blade entire-margined or the margins mostly serrate. Flowers odori-ferous, rather large, monoecious, dioecious or rarely polygamo-dioecious, the stami-nate flowers axillary, in short racemes or almost fasciculate, the pistillate ones axillary and solitary or few-fasciculate; sepals 2-3, imbricate, persistent; petals 4-12, 4 biseriate, imbricate; stamens oo (pistillate flowers lacking any rudiments of stamens), the filaments short, inserted on a slightly thickened torus, pubescent, the anthers linear, basifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; ovary superior (no rudimen-tary ovary in staminate flowers), longitudinally costate, l-locular, the placentas 4-8, many-ovulate; styles isomerous with the placentas, short, persistent, the stigmas scarcely capitellate. Fruits capsular, rather large, coriaceous to ligneous, longitudi-nally alate, the wings up to 16, large and undulated, crowned by the persistent styles, indehiscent; seeds numerous, smooth, immersed in a fleshy pulp; albumen copious; embryo straight; cotyledons foliaceous.
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