Plants trees, shrubs, or lianas with aromatic oils in their stems and leaves. Leaves alternate, without stipules; blades simple or palmately compound. Inflorescences axillary, corymbose or paniculate cymes. Flowers usually small, radially symmetric, bisexual or unisexual; perianth segments free or shortly united below, valvate, in 2 3-merous whorls or imbricate and in 1 4-8-merous whorl; stamens 3-5 in 1 whorl when the perian thas 2 whorls, usually 4 when the perianth has only 1 whorl, anthers 2-celled, dehiscing introrsely or laterally by 2 flap-like valves; staminodes sometimes present, more or less glandular, in 1-2 whorls, usually outside the stamens; ovaries inferior, 1-celled, with 1 ovule,; ovules pendulous, anatropous. Fruits dry, often ribbed or winged, sometimes wingess and enclosed in an inflated cupule; seeds enclosed in a woddy endocarp, without endosperm; embryos straight.
The family Hernandiaceae includes 4 genera and about 60 species, It is native to the tropics of both the Old and New World. Only one genus, Gyrocarpus is present in Somaliland and Somalia.