Shrubs or herbs with usually opposite and entire leaves; hairs mostly stellate. Flowers solitary or in cymes, actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, hypogynous. Sepals (3-)5, often the outer 2 smaller, persistent. Petals 5, rarely absent, usually caducous, shorter to much exceeding the sepals. Stamens many, (1-) many seriate. Ovary 1-locular or incompletely septate with 3-5 (-10) parietal placentae, (3-) many ovuled with mostly orthotropous ovules; style simple or absent. Fruit a loculicidal capsule; seeds subcurved, albuminous.