Shrubs or treelets. Leaves opposite, simple, pinnately veined and petiolate, slightly connate; leaves with spinulose margins (Desfontainia) or finely serrate (Columellia), coriaceous, with mucronate glands at tips of teeth; stipules absent. Flowers in terminal or axillary cymes, bisexual, ±actinomorphic, perianth hypogynous (Desfontainia) or semi-epigynous (Columellia); sepals 5, fused, valvate or slightly imbricate in bud, persistent; petals 5, fused, imbricate in bud; stamens 2(3) (Columellia) or 5 (Desfontainia), oppositisepalous, adnate to corolla, anthers basifixed, with prominent connective, dithecal and tetrasporangiate, introrse in Desfontainia, undeterminable in Columellia due to plicate thecae; ovary syncarpous of 2 carpels and bilocular (Columellia) or of 5 carpels and (imperfectly) pentalocular (Desfontainia); style short, simple, stigma lobed, isomerous with locule number, fertile ovules numerous, placentation parietal and multiseriate on intrusive placentae which are centrally fused, in Desfontainia occasionally only fused in the basal part of the ovary; ovules anatropous, unitegmic, tenuinucellate. Fruit in Columellia a loculi- and septicidal capsule opening with four valves, in Desfontainia a thin-walled berry. Seeds numerous, minute, oblong, endosperm copious, embryo minute, straight and without chlorophyll.