Infl. a terminal, us. complex panicle; bracteoles small, scarious; pedicels articulate just below fl. Fls bisexual; tepals free, subequal, 3–8–(12)-nerved, reflexed at fl., then closing over the ovary and tearing above the base as the fr. enlarges. Stamens 6, < tepals; filaments swollen and finely papillose over part of their length; anthers linear-oblong, basifixed. dehiscing introrsely by pores or slits. Ovary superior, almost or quite sessile, 3-locular; style filiform, stigma small; ovules 2–12 in each locule, anatropous. Fr. a berry, sts drying with age. Seeds ovoid or lenticular, black, shining. Perennial grass-like herbs or subshrubs, often stoloniferous. Lvs sheathing and closely aggregated at base or more openly distributed along stem. Genus of some 24 spp. of the Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, south and east Asia, tropical South America and Australasia.