Dogbanes are herbaceous perennials with erect, fibrous stems that often develop shredding outer layers, and opposite, petiolate leaves tipped with a small point.  Inflorescences arise from the stem tips or upper leaf axils, with deeply divided floral calyxes. The fruit consists of a pair of long, slender follicles, each containing seeds tipped with tufts of white hairs that aid in wind dispersal.