The ovary of the monogeneric Pistacioideae is composed of three united carpels but forming a 1-locular fruit with a single arillate seed. The Blepharocaryaceae was proposed by Airy Shaw in 1964 for the genus Blepharocarya . Furthermore, the female flowers are subtended by a cupule that is homologous to the cupule found in Fagaceae. The single carpel is 1-locular and encloses a single ovule, and thus markedly different from essentially anything else in the subfamily. Finally, the dry and indehiscent fruit, while not unique, is nonetheless rarely seen in the Anacardiaceae.
Additional work is needed on the unusual plant of tropical northeastern Australia.
The three species are found in the Himalayan area and in Burma, respectively. These are shrubs or rhizomatous perennial herbs with alternate or opposite, simple leaves that may or may not be lobed. The small regular flowers are arranged in a terminal thyrse and are unisexual with the plants dioecious. The calyx and corolla of the male flowers are composed of four or five segments, and the stamens are twice that number. The female flowers are adnate to large bracts.