Shrubs. Stems ascending or spreading. Bark exfoliating in grayish or reddish strings or strips, or sometimes not exfoliating. Branches erect or arching; twigs with simple and minutely branched trichomes. Leaves deciduous, opposite, sometimes clustered on short shoots; petiole present, relatively short; blade linear, elliptic, lanceolate, oblong, ovate, or falcate, herbaceous or coriaceous, margins entire, plane or strongly revolute; venation acrodromous, lateral veins sometimes obscure. Inflorescences terminal, flowers solitary; peduncle absent. Pedicels present. Flowers bisexual; perianth and androecium nearly hypogynous; hypanthium completely adnate to ovary, turbinate, broadly campanulate, or hemispheric, weakly or strongly 4-or 8-ribbed in fruit; sepals persistent, 4, eventually erect or strongly recurved, usually triangular, sometimes ovate, glabrous or hairy; petals 4, imbricate, spreading, white, sometimes tinged pink or red, broadly spatulate, base clawed, surfaces finely pubescent; stamens 8; filaments distinct, dorsiventrally flattened, gradually tapered toward apex, apex 2-lobed, lobes prolonged beyond anthers; anthers oblong; pistil 4(–5)-carpellate, ovary to 1/2 inferior, 4(–5)-locular; placentation axile; styles persistent, 4(–5), distinct. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, ± cartilaginous, dehiscence basipetally septicidal to middle of fruit. Seeds (1–)2–4(–6) per locule, reddish brown, ellipsoid. x = 11.
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