秋海棠科共有2属约1400余种，广泛分布在全球各地的热带和亚热带地区，其中夏威夷秋海棠属只有一种生长在夏威夷群岛，其余的种类都属于秋海棠属。中国有约170种。

本科植物多为一年生或多年草本，也有灌木，罕小乔木，茎常有节；单叶互生，有托叶；花单性，雌雄同株，辐射对称或两侧对称；果实为蒴果或浆果。

克朗奎斯特分类法将秋海棠科分入堇菜目，分为三属；最新的APG 分类法根据基因亲缘关系将秋海棠科列入葫芦目，并将生长在新几内亚的Symbegonia属和秋海棠属合并。

秋海棠科几乎每年都有新种被发现，因此种类尚不只这些。有许多种类被栽培作为观赏花卉。

Begoniaceae is a family of flowering plants with over 2000 species occurring in the subtropics and tropics of both the New World and Old World. All but one of the species are in the genus Begonia. The only other genus in the family, Hillebrandia, is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and has a single species. Phylogenetic work supports Hillebrandia as the sister taxon to the rest of the family. The genus Symbegonia was reduced to a section of Begonia in 2003, as molecular phylogenies had shown it to be derived from within that genus. Members of the genus Begonia are well-known and popular houseplants.