Shrubs or herbs; leaves simple, opposite or alternate; stipules deciduous or lacking entirely; flowers regular, perfect, commonly solitary in axils; calyx-tube adnate to ovary; lobes 4-5, valvate; petals 4-5, distinct, sometimes white or pink usually yellow, sometimes lacking; ovary inferior or rarely half-inferior, 2-6-celled; ovules 1-many, axile; fruit a berry, nut, or capsule. About 35 genera and nearly 500 species, in tropical and temperate regions. One genus represented in Guam by two naturalized species.