Shrubs, lianas or trees and rarely herbs, aromatic, with various hairs, sometimes with prickles, leaves alternate and spiral, pinnately or palmately compound to simple, dissected or lobed, entire to serrate with pinnate to palmate venation. Determinate inflorescence with simple umbels arranged in racemes, spikes or panicles, flowers bisexual, usually radial, small. Usually 5 sepals, petals, developing from ring primordium, sometimes connate or imbricate, with 5 stamens. Carpels usually 2-5, connate, inferior ovary with axile placentation, 2-5 tiny and capitate to truncate stigmas. Fruit a globose berry or drupe with 2-5 pits.