[2][3] It is native to China, Japan, India, and Indochina.
[1][4][5] The species have often been included within the related genus Aleurites.
[6][7] They are shrubs or trees growing to 20 m tall.
The leaves are alternate, broad, and entire to palmately lobed; they may be either deciduous or evergreen.
The flowers may be either monoecious or dioecious.