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They are trees or bushes and are rarely climbing. The leaves are simple, alternate, or often opposite. They are trifoliate, generally entire, petiolated or sessile. In general, there is intramarginal venation. The stipules are minute and in general fugacious or absent.

The flowers are more often bisexual and sometimes unisexual. They are actinomorphic, sessile or pedicellate. The bracteoles are deciduous. Inflorescences are often axillary, sometimes terminal, rarely cauliflore or ramiflorous. They are formed of racemes, panicles, umbels or fascicules or they are solitary flowers found near the leaves or the bracts or are grouped in spiciform heads. The floral tube is rarely free and occurs as a crown that is comprised of lobes of the calyx, petal and stamens. 

The calices (3-) 4-5 (-6 or 10) lobes, are generally imbricate, are sometimes valvate or connate, splitting irregularly at anthesis. They are persisting or deciduous and sometimes petaloid. In general, the number of petals is equal to the number of calices’ lobes. They are imbricate, free or calyptrate. They normally vary from red to white and rarely yellow.

Most of the time, there are numerous stamens and rarely mixed with the staminodium or rarely dispersed in the floral tube. The filaments are free, generally bent in the bud, rarely erect. The anthers are dorsifix or basifix, bilocular (in the Mascarenes) or 4-locular (in 1 genus). They open by longitudinal slits or sometimes by pores. A gland sometimes surrounds the connective.

The ovary is syncarpous, commonly inferior or sub-inferior. It is rarely completely superior. It often contains 2-7 locules or is sometimes unilocular. The ovary has 1-3 parietal placentas. The style is simple. The stigma is small, capitate or peltate, and rarely lobate. There are 2 to many ovules on each placenta.

The fruit is a berry, a capsule, an achene or a nut. There is 1 to many seeds. The embryo is of different types and albumen is generally absent.

The genus is composed of more than 500 species that are found in tropical and subtropical regions. Amongst the Myrtaceae, it is this genus that has cosmopolitan distribution of species. 

These are generally trees or bushes and rarely shrubs and are generally hairy. The leaves are opposite, petiolated and often heteromorphic in the Mascarenes. The flowers are bisexual, sometimes are functionally males. They are found solitary near the leaves or the bracts. They are sometimes either disposed racemose inflorescences at the base of branches or disposed in racemes or axillary fascicules. There are persisting small bracts. The lobes of the calices are free, distinct, and are disposed in 2 pairs, which are opposite, imbricate and generally persisting.

The petals vary from red to white and are generally persisting. There are numerous stamens. They are free, multiseriate and found at the top of the ovary. The filaments are filiform. The anthers are globular to oblong and dorsifix, opening by longitudinal dehiscence. The ovary is inferior, bilocular (in the Mascarenes). There are 2 or more ovules per locule and they are dispersed on the axile placentas.

The style is subulated or filiform and the stigma normally small. The fruit is a berry, which is fleshy or barky, sometimes drupaceous. The seeds vary from 1-2 (-8). The testa is membranous, often adhering to the embryo. The embryo is large, with either completely fused cotyledons forming a homogeneous mass or rarely free parts.
 

Monimiastrum

They are shrubs or small hairy trees, whereby the branches are more or less rounded. The leaves are opposite, entire, spotted-glandular and petiolated. Flowers are bisexual, axillary and solitary. They are sometimes found in 1-3 pairs at the axil of bracts or basal part of foliate branches, and rarely in peduncles. Inflorescences or flowers can be more or less sessile, fasciculate at the node, on the basal part of defoliate branches. Moreover, there are small, deciduous bracteoles.

The floral tube is largely extended over the ovary, not forming a pseudo-pedicel at the base. It divides irregularly at flowering into 4 (-5) segments up to the top of the ovary. The calyx has 4 lobes that are, either free, pointed, and more or less valvate, or connate and enclosing the bud, which is thereby apiculate at the top or bearing an apical pore surrounded by the 4 teeth of the calyx. If the calyx is closed it is circumscisile giving a calyptra, which is often fixed on the side of the tube. Or the calyx can be split between the teeth and the remaining fixed to the segments of the tube.

The petals are small, white in colour, precociously deciduous, being either inserted at the top of the floral tube or inside the calyptra. There are numerous stamens (about 200-300). Filaments are filiform, free, bent in the bud. Anthers are oblong, dorsifix, and opening by longitudinal dehiscence. Moreover, a gland combs the connective.

The ovary is inferior bilocular bearing 15-25 ovules per locule. The placentation is axile. The style is subulate and the stigma small. The fruit is a globular or ellipsoidal berry, retaining the remnants of the calyx segments at its tip. The embryo is large, with thick convex cotyledons, which are free or partially connate.
 

Syzygium

They are trees or bushes and are often smooth. The leaves are opposite, entire, spotted-glandular and are generally petiolated. Flowers are usually bisexual. Inflorescences are in cymoses, or racemes, often disposed in panicles. These are sometimes fasciculate, often terminal or axillary, lateral or are cauliflore plants. 

The bracts and bracteoles are often small and deciduous. The floral tube is generally prolonged over the ovary and is generally becoming thinner at the base into a pseudo-pedicel, with the pedicel. The calyx lobes are free, often imbricate and disposed into 2 opposite pairs. They are small or large, often deciduous and persisting.

The petals are free or quite adhering, are calyptrate and vary from white to red in colour. There are generally many stamens. They are rarely in equal numbers to the calyx lobes or have twice the number (in species with small flowers). They are free, in general conspicuous, bent in the bud, inserted in multiple series on the disc at the top of the floral tube. The stamens are rarely seen in epipetalous bundles. The filaments are filiform. The anthers vary from globular to oblong, are dorsifix, with longitudinal dehiscence. Finally, a gland often combs the connective.

The ovary is inferior and bilocular (in the Mascarenes), rarely having 3-4 locules. There are 2 or more ovules per locule, which are dispersed on the axile placenta. The style is subulated or filiform with a small stigma. The fruit is a fleshy or corky berry. There are 1 (-8) seeds. The testa is membranous. The embryo is large, generally with free cotyledons. The internal surfaces are often concave and very rarely partially connate or ruminate.