Shrubs or trees. Branchlets covered with grayish white lenticels. Leaves in spirals or subopposite, odd-pinnate; leaflet blades with margin usually entire. Thyrses axillary, polygamous. Flowers small, spherical. Calyx cup-shaped, 5-lobed in apical half. Petals 5, distinct, valvate. Stamens 10; filaments linear, base or basal part forming a cup-shaped tube, tip distinct and 2-lobed, inside usually covered with trichomes; anthers inserted between 2 lobes of filament tube apical margin. Disk short, adnate to base of filament tube. Ovary globose, 1-5-locular, with 2 collateral ovules per locule; style short; stigma capitate. Fruit a drupelike berry, ± fleshy, with 5 pyrenes, each pyrene with 1(or 2) seeds. Seeds with fleshy endosperm; embryo leaflike; radicle superior, exserted.

One species: tropical and subtropical Asia.

(Authors: Peng Hua (彭华); David J. Mabberley)