野茉莉科也叫安息香科，共有11-12属约150-170种，分布在北半球的暖温带和亚热带地区，中国有9属约60余种，主要分布于长江以南各地。

本科植物基本为乔木或灌木，单叶互生，全缘或有齿缺，无托叶；花两性，辐射对称，花冠2-5裂，覆瓦状或镊合状排列；果实为蒴果，有的种子有翅。

有的种类可以作为木材使用，大部分是观赏树种，其中安息香属一些种类的树皮可以提取树脂制造苏合香，作为香料或药材。

1981年的克朗奎斯特分类法将其列入柿树目，1998年根据基因亲缘关系分类的APG 分类法将其合并到杜鹃花目

The Styracaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, containing 11 genera and about 160 species of trees and shrubs. The family occurs in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

The family is characterised by spirally arranged simple leaves with no stipules; symmetrical white flowers with a corolla of two to five (sometimes seven) fused petals; and the fruit usually is a dry capsule, sometimes winged, less often a fleshy drupe, with one or two seeds.