Trees or shrubs, evergreen or deciduous. Branches are more or less squashed at nodes, and most of them have line marks between petioles. Leaves opposite, sessile or stipitate, entire, with white powder or wax below, and transparent fine glandular spots between veins. Inflorescences cymose, terminal or axillary; Bracteoles are small and fall off quickly. Flowers white or red, bisexual, pedunculate. Sepals 5, unequal in size, leathery, persistent and usually enlarged after anthesis. Petals 5, alternate with sepals, deciduous or nearly persistent, obovate, usually with glandular spots or stripes, without or with scales at the base. Stamens are composed of 3 bundles, with peduncles and different sizes. The anthers are nearly persistent, dorsal and inward. Connectors sometimes have 1 brown resin glands. Lower fleshy gland 3, alternate with stamen bundle, obvious or inconspicuous. Ovary superior, 3-loculed, ovoid to elliptic; Styles 3, divided, usually forked; Stigma capitate, slightly papillate; Ovules are numerous, anatropous and inserted at the base of axial placentation. The cyst is hard, oval to long cylindrical, with round or pointed top and ruptured ventricle. The axial placentation at the base of the capsule persists and becomes woody. The diaphragm is attached to the axis of the capsule, which is not limited by height, but the contact edge is thickened, and the fruit crack is separated from the diaphragm at the same time. Seeds are oblong with wings around them (not produced in China), or oblong to obovate with wings on one side; Embryos are straight and rectangular.

About 6 species, distributed in India, Myanmar, Thailand, passing through Indo-China Peninsula and southern China to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, all south of 24 N. There are two subspecies 1 in China, which are produced in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan.

Type species: Sumatra (Jack. )BL。 (Hypericum)