Shrubs or small trees, dioecious [or polygamo-dioecious], often with short shoots, unarmed or with spines or spinescent short shoots. Raphides absent. Leaves opposite but usually crowded on short shoots and apparently fasciculate, sometimes with domatia; stipules caducous, interpetiolar, triangular. Inflorescences terminal on lateral branches or short shoots [sometimes cauliflorous], sessile to pedunculate, bracteate, staminate 2-flowered or 2-or 3-flowered and cymose, pistillate 1-flowered. Flowers sessile to pedicellate, unisexual [sometimes bisexual and monomorphic]. Calyx with ovary portion hemispherical to ellipsoid in pistillate flowers, markedly turbinate with base narrowed in staminate flowers; limb subtruncate to 5(-7)-lobed. Corolla white to pale green, tubular-campanulate or funnelform, glabrous inside; lobes 5(-7), convolute in bud. Stamens 5(-7), inserted in corolla throat, included, staminodes markedly reduced; filaments short; anthers dorsifixed. Ovary 1-celled, ovules numerous in each cell on 2-4[-6] parietal placentas; stigmas 2[-6]-lobed, included. Fruit brown, baccate, fleshy, globose to ellipsoid, smooth, with calyx limb persistent; seeds numerous, large, ellipsoid to lenticular, embedded in fleshy pulp.
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