This small genus of deciduous trees demonstrates the affinity between the woody flora of eastern North America, which has one species, and eastern Asia, where there is one species in central China and one in Formosa – all three with the characteristic irregularly lobed foliage. Flowers mostly unisexual and borne on different trees. Inflorescence racemose, from few-scaled buds, developing before the leaves. Flowers without petals. Calyx composed of six segments. Male flowers with nine stamens in three whorls, the innermost each with a pair of glands at the base. Ovary one-celled, developing into a drupe inserted on a fleshy pedestal.
The generic name is probably a corruption of an Indian name for the American species.