Trees and shrubs, usually unarmed. Leaves alternate, petiolate, exstipulate. Inflorescence many-flowered axillary cyme. Flowers small, often fragrant, bisexual, actinomorphic, epigynous, bracteate. Sepals 4-10, united into a more or less truncate or 4-10 toothed tube, persistent. Petals 4-10, free rarely united at the base, linear-oblong. Stamens 4-40, free or slightly united at the base, sometimes adnate to petals, filaments short, arising from disc, often villous inside. Disc conspicuous, enlarged and cupular, rarely absent. Carpels 2-3, syncarpous; ovary adnate to the calyx tube; style simple, filiform, with simple or 2-3 lobed, capitate or clavate stigma. Fruit an ellipsoid-globose, flattened drupe crowned by sepals and disc. Seed oblong, endospermous.