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Shrubs, scandent or lianas. Stems woody. Leaves petiolate, entire, sometimes silvery sericeous abaxially. Inflorescences axillary, rarely terminal, in cymes, or loose or compact capitula, few to many flowered; bracts persistent or early deciduous, small or large. Sepals persistent, herbaceous or ± leathery, pubescent abaxially, glabrous and often red adaxially, ± enlarged and reflexed in fruit. Corolla purple, red, pink, or white, campanulate, funnelform, or tubular; limb subentire to deeply 5-lobed, with 5 distinct, mostly pubescent midpetaline bands. Stamens inserted near base of corolla, included or exserted; filaments filiform, base dilated, often pubescent or glandular; pollen globular, pantoporate, finely spiny. Disc ringlike or cupular, margin entire or shallowly 5-lobed. Ovary 2-or 4-loculed, 4-ovuled, pubescent or glabrous. Style 1, filiform, included or exserted; stigma capitate, 2-lobed or 2-globular. Berry red, purplish, orange, or yellowish, globose or ellipsoid, fleshy, mealy, or leathery. Seeds 4 or fewer, rarely pilose at hilum.
Lianas, perennial. Leaves petioled, variable in size and shape, glabrous to pubescent. Flowers in axillary few-to many-flowered cymes; sepals 5, herba-ceous to subcoriaceous, variable in shape and size, often hairy outside, slightly to much enlarged in fruit, in the latter case often red inside; corolla small to large, campanulate, funnelform or tubular, purple, red, pink, or white, the limb nearly entire to deeply lobed, the interplicae pubescent; stamens 5, included or exserted, the stigma biglobular. Fruits ellipsoid or globose, fleshy, leathery, or mealy berries, purplish, red, orange, or yellowish; seeds 4 or fewer, glabrous, rarely pilose at the hilum.
