Shrubs and trees, unarmed, terrestrial, without raphides in the tissues. Leaves opposite, petiolate, with tertiary and quaternary venation not lineolate, without domatia, with pellucid punctations in the lamina; stipules deciduous, interpetiolar, triangular, imbricated in bud. Inflorescences terminal, cymose to thyrsiform, multiflowered and often quite large, pedunculate, bracteate. Flowers sessile to pedicellate, bisexual, homosylous, protandrous, often rather large and showy, fragrant, apparently diurnal; hypanthium ellipsoid to turbinate; calyx limb shortly developed, truncate, without calycophylls; corolla campanulate to tubular or salverform, white to yellowish green or dull red, internally glabrous to puberulous, lobes 5, triangular, in bud valvate or valvate-reduplicate, at least usually without appendage; stamens 5, inserted near base of corolla tube, anthers narrowly ellipsoid, dorsifixed, opening by terminal pores, partially to fully exserted, apparently without appendage; ovary 2-locular, ovules numerous in each locule, horizontal on axile placentas, stigmas 2-lobed, ellipsoid to linear, exserted. Fruit capsular, ellipsoid to obovoid and laterallly flattened, loculicidally dehiscent from apex, woody to chartaceous, lenticellate, with calyx limb persistent; seeds numerous, angled to fusiform, small (1--2 mm), sometimes with short wings, seed surface foveolate-reticulate, wings when present entire.