[4] The family includes well-known plants such as the fig, banyan, breadfruit, jackfruit, mulberry, and Osage orange.

The family varies from colossal trees like the Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) which can cover five acres (two hectares) of ground, to Dorstenia barnimiana which is a small stemless, bulbous succulent 2–5 cm in diameter that produces a single peltate leaf on a 4–15 cm petiole.

The leaves can be singly attached to the stem or alternating, they may be lobed or unlobed, and can be evergreen or deciduous depending on the species in question.

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest these relationships:[11][9][10][12] Urticaceae (outgroup) Batocarpus Clarisia Artocarpus Parartocarpus Prainea Sorocea Bagassa Milicia Streblus Morus Trophis Maclura Fatoua Broussonetia Malaisia Bleekrodea Sloetia Trilepisium Utsetela Dorstenia Brosimum Trymatococcus Helianthostylis Ficus Sparattosyce Antiaropsis Antiaris Mesogyne Naucleopsis Perebea Pseudolmedia Maquira Helicostylis Poulsenia Castilla Moraceae is comprised 48 genera[2] in seven tribes.

[13][14] Other genera accepted by Plants of the World Online as of April 2024[update]: In addition to the living species, a number of fossil genera have been ascribed to the family:[15] While the fossil record of Moraceae goes back to the late Cretaceous, molecular clock estimates suggest that the family had begun to diversify by the mid-Cretaceous, with some major clades emerging during the Tertiary period.