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Vines [lianas or shrubs], twining [trailing], monoecious [gynodioecious]; hairs unbranched, always some stinging [none stinging, sometimes glandular]; latex absent. Leaves deciduous [persistent], alternate, simple [palmately compound]; stipules present, persistent; petiole present, glands absent; stipels present, often with basal glands; blade palmately lobed [unlobed], margins serrulate-crenulate [subentire], laminar glands absent; venation palmate [pinnate]. Inflorescences bisexual, apparently axillary (technically terminal on axillary short shoots), pseudanthia (consisting of 2, often showy, involucral bracts subtending 2 cymules, one with [1–]3 pistillate flowers and 1–3 involucellar bractlets, and one with [4–]10[–40] staminate flowers, 1–5 involucellar bractlets, and a series of resiniferous [non-resiniferous] bractlets forming condensed gland; involucral bracts open when flowers receptive, enveloping fruits [deciduous] as seeds develop); glands subtending each bract 0. Pedicels present. Staminate flowers: sepals 3–6, valvate, distinct; petals 0; nectary absent; stamens [5–]25–35[–90], distinct, borne on elongated [flat, dome-shaped] receptacle, thus appearing connate proximally; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers: sepals [5–]8–12, distinct; petals 0; nectary absent; pistil 3-carpellate; style 1, unbranched. Fruits capsules. Seeds globose to subglobose; caruncle absent. x = 11, 13.
Subshrubs, often twining or climbing, monoecious; indumentum usually with simple and stinging hairs. Leaves alternate; stipules conspicuous, persistent; leaf blade entire or 3-5-lobed or 3-5-partite, base usually stipellate; basal veins 3-7. Inflorescence axillary, long peduncled, capitate, bisexual, enclosed between 2 subopposite, often showy, involucral bracts; lower bract subtending a cyme of female flowers in a contracted cyme subtended by a lower bract and 1 or 2 fused upper bractlets, male inflorescence terminal but apparently inserted between female cymule and upper involucral bract, 3-or 8-12-flowered, surrounded by involucel of bracts; bracteoles of male flowers all or partly producing resin. Male flowers pedicellate; sepals 4 or 5(or 6), valvate, recurved at anthesis; petals absent; disk absent; stamens (8-)10-30(-100); filaments connate; anthers 2-locular, parallel; pistillode absent. Female flowers subsessile; sepals 5-12, imbricate, usually pinnatifid, accrescent; ovary 3-locular; styles connate in a column; stigma often lobed or discoid. Fruit a capsule, 3-locular, enclosed by accrescent calyx, often setose. Seeds globose, with or without caruncle.
Inflorescences terminal or axillary, usually solitary and long-pedunculate, enveloped by 2 large foliaceous bracts; bracts subequal, sessile, stipulate, entire, toothed or 3-lobed, heterochromous; male flowers 7–20 in a pedunculate, involucrate pleiochasium (aggregation of dichasial cymes in umbel-like arrangement) composed of 5(7) sessile (1)3-flowered bracteate cymes accompanied by a mass of fused bracts and/or aborted flowers encrusted with a waxy secretion; female flowers 1–3 in a subsessile 2–3-bracteate cyme abaxial to the male peduncle; flowers copiously nectariferous.
Female flowers: pedicels short, elongating in fruit; sepals 5–12, imbricate, narrow, usually pinnatifid, later accrescent and becoming hardened, enclosing the fruit; petals absent; disk absent; ovary 3-celled, with 1 ovule per cell; styles completely connate into a long column obtuse, dilated or obliquely excavated at the apex.
Male flowers: pedicels jointed; calyx globose in bud, later splitting into 4–6 valvate lobes; petals absent; disk absent; stamens usually 10–30, rarely more, filaments partially united to form a column, anthers longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode absent.
Leaves alternate, petiolate, stipulate, simple, 3–5-lobed or 3–5-foliolate, entire or toothed, glandular-stipellate, palminerved.
Fruit 3-lobed, dehiscing into 3 bivalved cocci; endocarp crustaceous or woody; columella persistent.
Monoecious, usually scandent herbs or subshrubs with a simple, sometimes urticating indumentum.
Seeds globose, ecarunculate; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad and flat.
