Annual or biennial herbs, shrubs, rarely small trees, covered with bladder hairs. Stems usually grooved or angular. Leaves petiolate, entire or more frequently lobed or dentate, very rarely terete and without petiole. Inflorescences composed of small cymose clusters arranged in spike-like or paniculate racemes. All flowers hermaphrodite or part of them female only, sessile, bractless, green or sometimes reddish. Perianth segments 5 (rarely 4), free or united at base. Stamens (1-4) 5, free or basally connate. Stigmas 2 (3), free. Fruit depressed-globular, fall off separately or together with perianth. Pericarp mostly thin, membranous, of 1-2 (3) parenchymatous layers, as a rule with small cylindrical or conical papillae (in dry fruits, the pericarp structure mostly looks as reticulate, and after soaking, the papillae retrieve their structure). In some members presently transferred to Chenopodium (Rhagodia, Einandia), the pericarp (at least at majority of flowers) appears fleshy (berry-like), coloured, and many-layered. Seeds black or rarely brownish, with horizontal embryo; outer seed-coat layer (testa) of the black seeds with vertical stalactites.