Evergreen trees. Terminal buds scaly. Leaves alternate, always clustered near apex of branchlet, pinninerved, often turning black when dry. Inflorescence axillary, paniculate or racemose; bracts and bracteoles deciduous. Flowers bisexual, 3-merous. Perianth tube short; perianth lobes 6, subequal or outer 3 smaller, slightly dilated after anthesis but absent in fruit. Fertile stamens 9, in 3 whorls; filaments of 1st and 2nd whorls glandless, those of 3rd whorl each with 2 glands at base; anthers 4-celled; cells of 1st and 2nd whorls introrse, those of 3rd whorl extrorse or upper 2 lateral and lower 2 extrorse. Staminodes 3, of innermost whorl, very small, nearly sagittate. Ovary partly immersed into shallow perianth tube; style often as long as ovary; stigma small, inconspicuous, discoid. Fruit black or purplish black when mature, ovoid, oblong, or subglobose; fruit stalk red, green, or yellow, sometimes nearly cylindric, fleshy, pulpy, always warty, truncate at apex.

Fifty species or more: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; ten species (seven endemic) in China.

(Authors: Li Xiwen (李锡文 Li Hsi-wen), Li Jie (李捷); Henk van der Werff)