Twining climbers. Leaves spirally arranged or alternate, petiolate, exstipulate. Flowers bisexual, axillary, solitary or paired on long peduncles, or (not in Australia, B. corallina) on terminal racemes occasionally with lowermost flowers in axils of leaves, with several bracts at or above base. Perianth acyclic, with 13–18 caducous, imbricate, spirally arranged segments increasing in size from bracts to inner tepals, the sepaloid tepals grading into inner petaloid tepals. Extra-staminal disc present, fleshy. Stamens (6–) 8–13; filaments short; anthers almost sessile, basifixed, apiculate by produced connective. Ovary superior, sessile, 1-locular; ovules numerous; style 1, thick, persistent in fruit; stigma inconspicuous. Fruit a berry, many-seeded, surrounded at base by persistent disc. Seeds embedded in a scanty pulp.
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