Sparingly branched or single-trunked often monocarpic trees, up to 18 m. Stems stout, bearing terminal clusters of large, palmately lobed, often peltate, exstipulate leaves. Trunk, petioles, and sometimes the blades spiny. Flowers in very large, repeatedly branched, terminal panicles which develop after the leaves have fallen. Umbellules arranged racemosely on the ultimate branchlets, sessile or peduncled, each consisting of a few to many pedicelled flowers. Pedicels not jointed, subtended by a bract and bearing two subulate bracteoles. Flowers hermaphrodite or with hermaphrodite flowers on terminal and male flowers on basal branches. Calyx a minute rim. Petals 5, free, valvate with a broad base. Stamens 5, dorsifixed, versatile, introrse. Ovary inferior, narrowly obconic, densely bristly; cells 2; disk conical, deeply cleft between the two subulate styles. Fruit consisting of 2 dry mericarps, each 3-ribbed and bearing a persistent slightly hooked style.
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