Trees or shrubs, dioecious, glabrous or with hair-like papillae. Twigs branching monopodially after flowering. Leaves alternate or subopposite (not in Australia), usually pseudo-whorled below resting buds, with a spicy scent when crushed. Inflorescences pseudo-terminal and umbel-like below a dormant vegetative bud, 1–16-flowered with flowers single in axils of caducous bracts. Flowers functionally unisexual, white, cream or yellow. Calyx calyptrate, enclosing bud until anthesis, often rupturing laterally into 2 or 3 lobes and then falling; petals 1–9 or absent, 1-seriate, free. Stamens 6–98 in ♂ flowers, 2–4-seriate, anthers and filaments distinct, filaments terete, progressively shorter and broader away from centre of flower; staminodes absent in ♀ flowers. Carpels 1–11 (–18), free; stigma extending over adaxial side and slightly over apex of carpel; ovules 2–36; sterile carpels 1–5 (rarely absent) in ♂ flowers. Fruit apocarps, berry-like; transversely septate pulpa present or absent. Seeds 1–27, laterally flattened, slightly to strongly curved, black.
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