Small trees or shrubs. Stipules small, intrapetiolarly united, deciduous; leaf blade simple, margin generally serrate, rarely entire; secondary veins curved upward, especially near margin, not joining in a submarginal vein. Inflorescences branched, sometimes corymbose. Sepals (4 or)5, completely enclosing floral bud, margins entire, often accrescent and colored in fruit, persistent. Petals 5-12, yellow or rarely orange or white, contorted. Stamens numerous, 2- or more whorled; filaments short or elongate, persistent; anthers poricidal or more rarely longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary deeply lobed, 3-15-locular; ovule 1 per locule; style gynobasic, slender; stigma generally slightly lobed. Drupelets 3-10(or 15), black, inserted on accrescent receptacle. Seed non-endospermic; embryo straight or curved.

About 85 species: mainly in tropical Africa, a few species in tropical Asia; one species in China.