Trees and shrubs with latex and fleshy fruits associated with a persistent calyx. In West Africa, most species are large, evergreen forest trees with simple, entire, alternate, leathery leaves with prominent pinnate venation. Flowers are small and white, in axillary clusters, each one three- to eight-part; flower structure in some species is complex. The flowers seldom open widely, never before senescence, and the corolla and staminodes absciss circularly round the base and fall as a piece. The flowers are followed by fleshy or woody berries, sometimes very large, with seeds having relatively large scars. The family is not yet reported growing indigenously in Gambia.

The introduced sapodilla (Manilkara zapotilla) from Central America has grey or brown fruits with sweet red flesh, and the star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), from the same area, has berries with delicious white or purple flesh. Mimusops elengi (tropical Asia) is sometimes planted for shade.

Flowers ⊕. Simple 5-part flowers occur in Aningeria etc. (K5 [C(5) A5] G(5)), with 5 staminodes alternating with the stamens only in Vincentella and Aningeria. The more complex flowers of Butyrospermum, Tieghemella and Manilkara have 2 whorls each of sepals and petals, appendaged petals (each petal represented by 3 lobes) and petaloid staminodes. Butyrospermum and Tieghemella have 4-part flowers (K4+4 (the whorls dissimilar) [C(8) A8] G(8)), Manilkara has 3-part flowers (K3+3 [C(6) A6] G(6)), all have petaloid staminodes. In Omphalocarpum the flowers are of the simple 5-part type, but there is a group of 2–6 stamens opposite each petal lobe.