Shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, simple, exstipulate, membranaceous to coriaceous. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, cymose or paniculate, the ultimate branches usually umbelliform or capituliform. Flowers apetalous,-dioecious, tetramerous; perianth salverform to campanulate, more or less petalaceous, usually densely puberulent, the limb deeply 4-lobed. Staminate flowers: stamens 8, sessile or subsessile, the outer-cycle antesepalous, inserted at the base of the perianth lobes, barely exserted, the inner cycle antepetalous, inserted within the perianth tube; pistillode present, surrounded at the base by a delicate entire or lobed disc. Pistil-late flowers usually smaller than the staminate: staminodes 8, 4, or absent; pistil 1-carpellate, containing a single pendulous anatropous ovule; stigma capitate, sessile or subsessile, usually slightly exserted; disc entire or lobed, hypogynous, usually delicately membranaceous. Fruit a small slightly fleshy drupe.
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