Perennial, stout, erect shrub or undershrub with young parts hairy; leaves alternate, upper small, lanceolate, acute or acuminate at apex, lower larger, oblong, rounded, subcordate or cuneate at base, entire or palmately 3-5 lobed; petioles long, slender; stipular glands 2 at base; flowers numerous, small, apetalous in axillary, interrupted racemes, all males or with few female below; bracts small; male flowers globose; sepals 4-5, membranous, orbicular, concave, imbricate; disk glands 4-6, soft, lobulate; stamens 10-30 on small receptacle, anthers broad, cells adnate for the whole length to broad connective, filaments free or few connate; in female flowers: sepals 5-6, lanceolate, acute, thoothed; disk short, entire, cupular; ovary 3-lobed, densely strigose, style stout, deeply bifid, arms recurved, stigmatic surface smooth, ovules one in each locule; capsules large, subglobose or obovoid, hairy, 3 or 2 valved, crustaceous cocci, sparsely strigose or glabrous; fruiting calyx not accrescent; seeds ellipsoid, smooth, mottled.