The Funariaceae are mostly annual plants growing on bare soil. The leaves typically are obovate with a single costa and thin‑walled laminal cells. Gametophytically, most of the family is fairly uniform and the placement of sterile material, even to genus, is mostly impossible. The family is sporophytically diverse, and varies from members with immersed, cleistocarpous capsules to members with long‑exserted, peristomate capsules. The genera are mostly defined on calyptra and sporophytic characters.