A deciduous, glabrous shrub with brown smooth bark; leaves sessile or subsessile, elliptic-oblong, glabrous, acute or obtuse, never acuminate; inflorescence many flowered, lax, subpyramidal panicles; peduncles minutely pubescent or gabrous; flowers showy, actinomorphic; calyx tube short, smooth, straight, glabrous not fulvous or tomentose, usually 6-toothed; petals-6, white, pink or purple, sub-orbicular, long clawed, margins crisped; stamens many, inserted at the bottom of calyx tube, filaments long, filiform, anthers versatile; ovary sessile, 3-6 celled; ovules many; style long, slender, incurved; stigma capitate; capsule globose, woody, more or less adnate to and enclosed by persistent, 3-6 valved long, triangular, erect teeth; seeds many, winged.