Twining shrubs. Leaves alternate, petiolate. Staminate inflorescence axillary, fasciculate, paniculiform. Staminate flowers 3-merous, actinomorphic: Sepals 6-22, the exterior minutely bracteoliform, the interior 6 conspicuously larger, usually reflexed or sometimes cucullate at the apex in anthesis; petals 6, minute, ante-sepalous, appressed to the androecium; stamens 6, antepetalous, greatly surpassing the petals, inflexed, the filaments free or slightly coherent at the base, the longitu-dinally dehiscing anthers 2-celled, the cells separated by and sometimes immersed within a fleshy connective which is often produced beyond the thecae. Pistillate inflorescence axillary, solitary or fasciculate, racemose. Pistillate flowers: Sepals and petals similar to the staminate; staminodia minute or none; carpels 6, erect, gibbose-ellipsoid, the style almost wanting, the stigma lingulate and reflexed. Drupes 6 or a few aborted, gibbose-ellipsoid; endocarp chartaceous-coriacelous, divided by a septum which extends from the base beyond the center; seed deeply hippocrepiform, exalbuminous.
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