Small trees or shrubs, with spartioid branches, jointed, brittle stems and reduced or obsolete opposite leaves. Flowers borne on short twigs on lower part of older branches, perfect, 5-merous, with a pair of ± membranous bracteoles, solitary in the axils of scale-like bracts. Perianth segments membranous, free, with basal tufts of flexuose hairs, developing wings in fruit; stamens 5; anthers oblong-oval, unappendaged; filaments exserted, united at base into a hypogynous disc; staminodal lobes 5, thin, glabrous, not thickened. Ovary with 2-5 very short, ± sessile stigmas; seeds horizontal, with spiral embryo.