Lianas, rarely becoming subshrubs, lacticiferous. Leaves opposite, rarely ternate or quadrate, frequently with an inconspicuous pit in the axils of the midrib and principal veins beneath, glandular at the base of the midrib or rarely non-glandular, pinnately-nerved; mostly petiolate and inconspicuously stipulate. Inflorescences thyrsiform, dichasial, or ? spicate, axillary and opposite, or ter-minal. Flowers small; bracteoles mostly present; calyx 5-lobed, the lobes essen-tially equal, bearing 1 to several squamellae within, or rarely the squamellae apparently absent; corolla rotate, subrotate, or ? campanulate, without ap-pendages, the limb 5-lobed, dextrorsely or rarely sinistrorsely convolute; stamens 5, included to wholly exserted, the filaments with or without appendages, free or agglutinated to the style, the anthers connivent and agglutinated to the stigma, the connective enlarged, characterized by a pedestal-like projection at the base; gynoecium 2-carpellate, apocarpous or rarely syncarpous, the ovary superior, the ovules numerous, the nectaries 5, distinct or concrescent, the style 1, the stigma fusiform to subcapitate. Fruit apocarpous or rarely somewhat agglutinated, of (1-)2 follicles, + slender; seeds numerous, dry, truncate, comose apically.
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