Trees, unarmed; buds flattened, with stipules erect and pressed together. Raphides absent. Leaves opposite, sometimes with domatia; stipules caducous, interpetiolar, generally ovate to obovate, sometimes keeled, entire, often well developed. Inflorescences terminal on main stems and axillary branches and often accompanied by reduced, petaloid, and/or bracteate leaves, capitate with globose heads in fascicles, cymes, umbels, or thyrses, sessile to shortly pedunculate, bracteate; bracteoles spatulate to obpyramidal. Flowers sessile, bisexual, monomorphic. Calyx limb truncate to 5-lobed. Corolla cream to yellow-green, funnelform or narrowly salverform, inside glabrous to variously pubescent; lobes 5, valvate in bud. Stamens 5, inserted near corolla throat, exserted or included; filaments short; anthers basifixed, partially to fully exserted. Ovary 2-celled, ovules numerous in each cell on fleshy, pendulous, axile placentas attached in upper third of septum; stigma clavate to mitriform (i.e., upside-down cupular), exserted. Fruit capsular, obovoid to ellipsoid, septicidally then loculicidally dehiscent, cartilaginous to woody, with calyx limb persistent or deciduous; seeds numerous, small, somewhat flattened, fusiform to lanceolate, shortly winged at both ends with basal wing sometimes bifid or notched.
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