Dioecious trees or shrubs; branchlets with leaf scars and lenticels. Leaves alternate, usually conferted at apex of branchlets, simple, entire, long petiolate, exstipulate. Inflorescence racemose, axillary, solitary, bracteate at base. Flowers unisexual, sometimes sterile. Calyx 3-6-parted, persistent or deciduous. Petals absent. Male flowers: stamens 5-12(-18), 1-whorled, radially arranged; filaments shorter than anthers; anthers luniform with lateral-longitudinal dehiscence, connective ± exserted. Female flowers: staminodes absent or 5-10; ovary ovoid or ellipsoidal, 2-locular; ovules 2 per locule, anatropous, pendulous; style very short; style branches 2, recurved or circinate, persistent, adaxially with decurrent stigmas. Drupe ovoid or ellipsoidal, tuberculate or indistinctly tuberculate-rugose on surface, often glaucous; mesocarp fleshy. Stone hard; testa membranous; endosperm fleshy; embryo small; cotyledons semiterete; radicle terete.

Ming Tien lu. 1980. Daphniphyllaceae. In: Cheng Mien & Ming Tien lu, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 45(1): 1-11.

One genus and 25-30 species: India and Sri Lanka to Australia, but centered in E and SE Asia; ten species (three endemic) in China.

(Authors: Min Tianlu (闵天禄 Ming Tien-lu); Klaus Kubitzki)