Epigynum Wight

Large woody climbers with all parts bearing white latex. Branchlets weakly lenticellate or not, pubescent at least when young. Leaves opposite; glands in axils of petioles; blade ovate, elliptic or obovate, apex with a sharp tip, secondary veins arcuate ascending, anastomosing before margin. Inflorescence an umbelliform panicle formed from terminal and axillary cymes; bracts small. Sepals with colleters in a row at base inside, only at edges of sepals at base inside or without colleters. Corolla in bud a narrow tube, bulging around the anthers, and an ovate head, lobes dextrorse, tomentose to glabrous outside, pubescent or glabrous inside, salverform when open; lobes falcate-obovate, mostly with a sharp projection on one side. Stamens inserted in lower half of tube or almost in the middle of tube; filament broad, short; anthers fertile in the upper half only, the lower half sterile, laterally with lignified guide rails and sagittate appendages at the base, attached at base of style head and attached again at middle of anthers to top of style head. Disk of 5 separate lobes or in a ring with a crenate margin; glabrous. Gynoecium of 2 separate semi-inferior carpels united into a common style; ovules numerous; style filiform; style head long cylindrical, with an acuminate apex and a basal collar, collar sometimes very small, 5 ribs between collar and apex. Fruit of paired follicles; fusiform or linear, sometimes strongly curled. Seeds consisting of a flattened grain and a coma directed towards the fruit apex.