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Climbers, perennial; monoecious (or dioecious, not in Malesia). Probract absent. Tendrils 2-or 3-branched or unbranched. Leaves: blade simple, unlobed or lobed, or 3-8-foliolate, usually with scattered glands near the insertion to the petiole. Flowers whitish or yellowish green, solitary or fascicled, arranged in racemes, or subpaniculate; petals free or short-connate. Male flowers: receptacle-tube campanulate or subcylindrical; petal lobes (ovate-)elliptic or oblong, valvate or (sub)imbricate; stamens 3, free, inserted near the throat of the receptacle-tube (or lower down, not in Malesia), anthers basifixed, often connivent, two 2-thecous, one 1-thecous, thecae plicate, connective not produced; disc (pistillode) absent or small. Female flowers solitary or few-fascicled, arranged in panicles; perianth as in male flowers; ovary ovoid, ovules 1-many per locule, erect, style long, with nectary-like annular disc at base, stigmas 3, unlobed, recurved; staminodes small. Fruit ovoid or subglobose, berry-like, with 3-12 seeds. Seeds little compressed, mostly smooth, margin absent, edge entire.
Dioecious or monoecious tendriled vines; stems 5-to 20-sulcate. Leaves peti-olate, simple or foliolate; tendrils simple or 2-to 5-branched. Staminate flowers in racemes or panicles, or solitary in the axils of the leaves; calyx campanulate or subeylindrical, 5-lobate; corolla campanulate or rotate, 5-lobate; stamens 3, inserted on calyx tube at the base, the filaments free, the anthers longitudinally triplicate, rarely replicate at the apex, connate, one anther unilocular, others bilocular; ovary rudimentary, glandlike, 3-lobed; nectaries present or absent. Pistillate flowers usually disposed as the staminate flowers; calyx and corolla usually as in the staminate flowers; ovary ovoid or oblong, 3-carpellate or rarely unicarpellate through abortion, the styles 3, connate, erect, the stigmas 3, forming a peltate, 3-lobate head, the lobes reflexed; nectary disc surrounding the style at the base; staminodia 3, minute, rarely absent. Fruit ellipsoid or globose, fleshy, corky, indehiscent; seeds 1-15, erect, ovate or oblong, compressed, the testa smooth or roughened.
