Evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate and/or subverticillate, thinly chartaceous to rigidly coriaceous, penninerved, rarely subtriplinerved or subquin-tuplinerved, the lower surface often densely, microscopically puncticulate. In-florescence axillary or subterminal, few-to many-flowered panicles. Bracts and bracteoles persistent or deciduous. Flowers dioecious, without involucre. Perianth-tube distinct, shallow to subglobose. Perianth-lobes 6, usually equal, mostly spreading and reflexed at anthesis. Staminate flowers with 9 fertile stamens in three series, the inner distant from the two outer. Anthers of outer stamens 2-celled, introrse or introrse-lateral, sessile or borne on filaments. Anthers of inner stamens usually 2-celled, extrorse or extrorse-lateral, the filaments bigland-ular. Staminodia generally absent, or if present very minute. Pistillate flowers usually smaller, and often borne on much shorter pedicels in usually shorter, more narrow panicles. Stamens similar, smaller and sterile. Ovary immersed in the tube, large, usually glabrous, but pubescent in Panamanian species. Style usually short and thick. Stigma discoid or peltate, distinct, varying in size, often 3-parted. Fruit usually ellipsoid, glabrous, borne in shallow subhemispherical fleshy simple-margined cupule, the pedicel enlarged, fleshy and thick.
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