It is also classified in Escalloniaceae (by Hutchinson 1967; Dahlgren; Thorne), Grossulariaceae (Cronquist 1988), Carpodetaceae (APG I 1998, Kubitzki 2007[1]), Rousseaceae (APG II 2003, Shipunov 2005, Thorne & Reveal 2007[2] and Heywood et al. 2007[3]), or even in its own family Abrophyllaceae Nakai (Reveal and Takhtajan 1997).

Its habitat is warm-temperate and subtropical rainforest, especially along smaller watercourses or in gullies on poorer soils.

[4] Shrubs or small trees to 8 m (26 ft) high; leaves simple, mostly 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long, 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) wide, alternate, large, lanceolate, long-acuminate, subserrate; without stipules, petiole 20–40 mm (0.8–1.6 in) long.

Stamens usually 5 or sometimes 6, inserted on the margin of the inconspicuous nectary disk; anthers broad oblong; filaments very short.

Fruit are oblong, black berries about 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide, crowned by the stigma, many-seeded; seeds small, subglobose, testa deeply latticed; embryo very small; endosperm fleshy and oily.