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Shrubs or trees; twigs pubescent. Leaves alternate, entire or serrate, some-times on the same plant, mostly elliptic, glabrous, shiny above, coriaceous; petioles short; stipules wanting. Inflorescences axillary, short, many-l-flowered; bracts small; pedicels present or wanting; bractlets often present. Flowers perfect (Pan-ama), small; calyx with sepals 4-9 united halfway, imbricate, often ciliate; corolla sympetalous, divided halfway or more into 3-11 imbricate petals in 1-2 whorls; stamens 5-100, the filaments fused into a short basal column which is adnate to the corolla, the anthers small, rotund; ovary 2-6 locular, flat topped, half or more inferior, 2-4 pendant ovules in each locule, the style single, short, the stigma capitate. Fruits stony drupes surmounted by the calyx lobes.
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or hairy (hairs simple, 1-celled, with transverse septa); new vegetative growth from axillary and/or pseudoterminal buds. Branches smooth at maturity, glabrous or white-or rufous-pubescent. Leaves often sweet tasting; blade with marginal teeth usually glandular, apex acute to acuminate, midvein abaxially prominent, adaxially raised, prominent, or impressed [rarely flat]. Flowers fragrant; sepals imbricate; petals imbricate, white or yellow [pink, reddish, or lavender]; filaments glabrous [hairy]; anthers rotund-ovate to spheric. Drupes usually blue, sometimes orange to brown [white], crowned by persistent calyx; endocarp 1[-5]-celled. x = 11.
Leaves usually not becoming yellow when dry. Corolla tubular, erect, often to above the middle adherent to the staminal tube and then suddenly expanded; margins of the petals free, thus sometimes obscuring the coalescence. Stamens monadelphous; free part of filaments ribbon-shaped, in several whorls, in the outer whorl often very short, always suddenly attenuate below the anther. Fruits 2-5-celled, usually none of the cells aborted. Seeds straight, cylindrical.
Leaves usually becoming more or less yellow when drying. Petals glabrous, or hairy in only few species, connate only at the very base, mostly expanded. Stamens monadelphous to pentadelphous, only connate at the very base (for at most 2 mm); filaments cylindrical, slender to rather stiff, often gradually attenuate towards the anther. Fruits 2-3(-5?)-celled, often 1-celled by abortion. Seeds either straight or curved, and then with curved embryo.
Morphological characters and geographical distribution are the same as the family.
Characters of the family. 300+, mostly warm regions.
