Trees or shrubs, in Clutia also shrublets or woody herbs, dioecious (or monoecious in some Clutia and Pera). Indumentum simple hairs, stellately arranged in Trigonopleura, malpighiaceous in inflorescences of Pogonophora, mainly stellate and lepidote in Pera. Stipules small or absent. Leaves alternate, often distichous, (to very rarely opposite in Pera), simple, entire, penninervid, often pellucid-punctate, eglandular. Inflorescences axillary fascicles (or also short panicles or thyrses in Pogonophora), pistillate flowers in Clutia often solitary, usually bracteate or in Pera flowers involucrate and buds even completely enclosed by the 2 involucre-like bracts. Flowers small, actinomorphic, unisexual, pedicellate or sessile. Staminate flowers: in Pera calyx 2 – 4-fid or absent, in other genera sepals usually 4 – 5, imbricate, sometimes in 2 series; petals absent or 5, valvate or imbricate, inside centrally barbate in Pogonophora; disc generally ex- trastaminal (Chaetocarpus, Clutia, Trigonopleura), annular or glandular, in 1– 3 series in Clutia, absent in Pera, intrastaminal glands in Pogonophora, forming a cup under the pistillode; stamens 5 –15, filaments only free in Pogonophora, basally united in an androphore in all other genera, anthers splitting off in 1– 2 layers, basifixed, opening introrse, latrorse or extrorse via lengthwise slits, connective often apiculate; pistillode present, but absent in Pera, but there each staminate flower surrounded by remnants of 3 – 4 pistillate flowers. Pistillate flowers pedicellate, but (sub)sessile and without peri- anth in Pera; sepals 4 – 8, imbricate; petals absent or 5, free, inside centrally barbate in Pogonophora; disc annular, often cupular to urceolate; ovary (seldom in Trigonopleura 2-), 3- (or some Clutia 4-) locular, per locule 1 anatropous ovule, style absent to short, stigmas apically split to apically fimbriate in Pogonophora. Fruits rhegmas, dehiscing septicidally and partly loculicidally into 2-valved mericarps except almost drupaceous in Pera and tardily also completely dehiscing loculicidally, in Pera mericarps remain- ing attached to the persistent columella; septa thin, membranous and without visible vascularisation. Seeds ellipsoid to globular, black, shiny, always carunculate; testa with a tracheoidal exotegmen; endosperm copious but scanty in Trigonopleura; cotyledons much longer and broader than the radicle except somewhat longer in Clutia. n = 18.