They are found in Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, and South America.

[5][6] Plants in this family have simple leaves, usually arranged alternately, sometimes in opposite pairs or whorled often clustered at the ends of the branches, usually with a toothed edge but sometimes reduced to scales.

The flowers are arranged in leaf axils, singly or in groups and are radially symmetrical.

The flowers usually have both male and female organs, four or five sepals and four or five petals.

[8] Twelve genera of Elaeocarpaceae are accepted by Plants of the World Online as at August 2021:[9]