Monoecious or rarely dioecious trees, shrubs, subshrubs or herbs with the stems arising from a thick perennial stock. Indumentum simple, sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, crowded or lax, sessile or petiolate, stipulate, the stipules multifid and glandular or spiny, simple, usually palmatilobed, sometimes entire. Inflorescences terminal, subterminal, leaf-opposed or axillary, often corymbiform, dichotomously cymose usually with a solitary ♀ flower terminating each major axis and the lateral cymules ♂. Bracts entire or glandular-fimbriate. Male flowers: sepals 4-6, often ± connate, imbricate; petals 5, free or coherent, imbricate or contorted; disc entire or of 5 tree glands; stamens 6-10, commonly in 2 whorls with the filaments partially fused, anthers longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode 0. Female flowers: sepals and petals ± as in the ♂ flowers; staminodes sometimes present; disc annular, quinquelobate or of free glands; ovary (1-) 2-3 (-5)-celled, with 1 ovule per cell; styles connate at the base, entire or bifid. Fruit schizocarpic or subdrupaceous; endocarp crustaceous or indurated. Seeds carunculate, the caruncle often much-divided; testa crustaceous; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat.