Deciduous trees or rarely shrubs, to 25 m tall. Young branches often pilose or tomentose. Leaves alternate, long petiolate, 3-veined from base, primary vein with 4-8 pairs of secondary veins, leaf base ± oblique, margin serrate. Flowers white or yellow-green, bisexual, 5-merous, in terminal or axillary, cymose panicles. Calyx tube hemispherical; lobes triangular, adaxially ± distinctly keeled. Petals elliptic to ovate, shortly clawed at base, rarely slightly emarginate apically, often ± completely enfolding stamens, ± widely reflexed during anthesis. Stamens enfolded by petals; filaments lanceolate-linear; anthers dorsifixed. Disk subrounded, thick, fleshy, often ± densely pubescent, rarely glabrous, filling calyx tube. Ovary semi-inferior, nearly completely immersed in disk, 3-loculed, with 1 ovule per locule; style 2- or 3-fid, ± deeply branched. Drupe subglobose, glabrous to densely hairy, base with persistent calyx tube, apex with rudimentary style; mesocarp leathery, often separating from membranous endocarp; peduncles and pedicels of infructescence becoming distinctly fleshy and juicy at fruit maturity. Seeds 3, brownish to blackish, shiny, oblate to orbicular, often spotted with minute pits.

The hard timber with fine-grained wood is good for making furniture. The dilating peduncles of the infructescence are sweet and edible. The seeds are used medicinally.

Three species: Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal; three species in China.