Evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves simple. Flowers in heads, bisexual, zygomorphic, sepals small. Petals absent or 1-4 at one end of the flower, red. Stamens 6-11. Carpels united. Ovary semi-inferior with many ovules but producing only 1-2 winged seeds.

Flowers in heads, petals large; ovules 10-20.

1-7 species from Asia (in need of taxonomic revision).

Source: Spencer, R. (1997). Hamamelidaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.