Monoecious, dioecious, polygamodioecious (not in Australia) or andromonoecious trees, shrubs, occasionally hemiepipytic (not in Australia) or strangling (not in Australia), with simple or stellate hairs. Leaves opposite-decussate, alternate (Davidsonia) or in whorls of 3 or 4 per node, unifoliolate, trifoliolate, palmately compound or imparipinnate, with margins entire or toothed, petiolate or sessile, sometimes with hair-tuft or pocket domatia abaxially near midrib; stipules present, interpetiolar, lateral or axillary (not in Australia), fused or free, conspicuous and foliaceous or minute, persistent or caducous; stipels present or absent. Inflorescences paniculate, thyrsoid, cymose, racemose or capitate or flowers solitary, terminal, axillary or cauliflorous. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic, sessile or pedicellate. Sepals usually 4 or 5, rarely 3 (Vesselowskya) or up to 10, valvate or imbricate, free or connate. Petals absent, as many as sepals or more numerous than sepals (Bauera), free. Stamens usually twice as many as petals, sometimes numerous, uniseriate or multiseriate, free; filaments usually exceeding the perianth; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing by longitudinal or somewhat apical (Bauera) slits. Ovary superior or rarely semi-inferior or inferior (not in Australia), 1–14-locular, syncarpous or rarely with carpels free, with free stylodia; ovules 1–many per locule; placentation axile to pendulous; nectary disc present or absent (Bauera). Fruit a septicidal or loculicidal capsule, follicle, drupe or nut-like; seeds few to numerous, small, winged or not, glabrous or hairy, endosperm present or rarely absent (Davidsonia).
Cunoniaceae have been utilised for timber as well as in horticulture and for food. The timber of Australian Coachwood Ceratopetalum apetalum has been widely used for coach-building and furniture (Hoogland 1960), and the Christmas Bush Ceratopetalum gummiferum is widely cultivated for its red calyces while fruiting (Harden 2000a). Leatherwood honey is produced by keeping bees in forests of flowering Eucryphia in Tasmania and Chile, and Davidsonia is the source of Davidson’s Plum which has been mostly used in jams (Bradford et al. 2004).
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