Plants trees, shrubs, shrublets, or woody climbers. Leaves alternate to subopposite or opposite, sometimes clustered on short shoots, simple, usually with small stipules. Flowers radially symmetric, bisexual or polygamous to unisexual. Sepals (3-)4-5(-6), usually imbricate, rarely valvate, in bud, free or united at the base, persistent; petals (3-)4-5(-6), usually free, rarely united at the base, usually imbricate, rarely valvate, in bud; stamens (2-)3-5(-6), opposite the sepals, free or with filaments partly united, inserted outside, on, or inside disk, sessile on short androgynophores; disks usually present, rarely discontinuous or absent; ovaries superior, free or partly or wholly immersed in the disk, sessile or on short androgynophores, 2-5-celled or 1-celled by abortion, with 1-numerous, usually erect, rarely pendulous, ivules in each cell; styles free, more or less united, or absent; stigmas free or somewhat united. Fruits loculicidally dehiscent capsules, berries, or drupes, sometimes winged; seeds sometimes with arils or wings, with or without endosperm.
The Celastraceae family includes 60-70 genera and 850-900 species. It is widely distrbute in tropical and warmer temperate regions.