Herbaceous, glabrous perennials with branching taproots surmounted by short stems bearing a few to several basal leaves; all aerial parts fleshy and with a pronounced glaucous bloom, dying down after fruiting; the shoot apex apparently protected during winter by a few special leaves with large sheaths and reduced laminae; plants of each species either female or with male and hermaphrodite flowers together. Leaves 3-4 ternate or ternate-pinnate; lamina divisions set in many planes; ultimate segments narrow-linear, sub-acute to obtuse, concave above, convex below, stomata equally abundant on both surfaces; petioles more or less terete, tapering downwards; sheath edges converging upwards and joining. Inflorescences axillary, each with a terminal compound umbel and a few reduced cauline leaves, occasionally a cauline leaf may subtend an additional simple or compound umbel; inflorescence axes tapering downwards; primary bracts at the base of each compound umbel simple or 2-3 ternately compound, shorter than or equalling the compound umbel; secondary bracts at the base of each simple umbel simple or compound; flowers white or pink; sepals smaller than petals, but quite distinct, variable in size in each flower; petals with inflexed tips and a median and several lateral oil tubes; female flowers with minute rudimentary petals and staminodes; styles rather stout; mericarps with five sub-acute to obtuse, more or less equal ribs; epidermis and hypodermis frequently separating from the inner tissues in the intervals; oil tubes approximately equal in size and not or only moderately flattened; solitary in the intervals, two on the commissure, and solitary in the ribs; endocarps heavily lignified.

Herbae perennes, carnosulae, cinereae, glabrae, gynodioeciae. Folia ternatodecomposita. Inflorescentiae axillares. Umbellae compositae. Flores feminei staminodiis petalisque rudimentalibus praeditae. Endocarpium mericarpii lignosum. Species typica: L. carnosula.