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Herbs, perennial, unarmed; stems creeping and rooting at nodes. Raphides present. Leaves opposite, usually broadly ovate to cordate and long petiolate, without domatia; stipules persistent, interpetiolar, generally triangular, entire [or 2-lobed]. Inflorescences terminal or pseudoaxillary, cymose to capitate, few to several flowered, pedunculate, bracteate. Flowers sessile or subsessile, bisexual, apparently monomorphic. Calyx limb 4-7-lobed. Corolla white, funnelform, inside pubescent in throat; lobes 4-7, valvate in bud. Stamens 4-7, inserted in corolla tube, included or partly exserted; filaments developed; anthers dorsifixed. Ovary 2-celled, ovules 1 in each cell, erect, basal; stigma 2-lobed, included or exserted. Fruit orange or red [or sometimes blue or black], drupaceous, globose to ellipsoid, fleshy, with calyx limb persistent; pyrenes 2, 1-celled, each with 1 seed, hard, plano-convex and sometimes longitudinally twisted, dorsally (i.e., abaxially) smooth to ridged, ventrally (i.e., adaxially) with a median ridge and 2 submarginal longitudinal grooves; seeds medium-sized; testa membranous; endosperm corneous.
Creeping herbs. Leaves often cordate, membranous; petioles elongate. Inflorescences axillary, usually pedunculate, the flowers few in a terminal cluster. Flowers with the calycine tube dentate or lobate; corolla funnelform, pilose in the throat, the lobes valvate; stamens 4-7, the filaments slender, inserted in the throat; ovary 2-celled. Fruits fleshy, drupaceous, the 2 nutlets plano convex, compressed dorsally, usually costate.
Flowers hermaphrodite, sometimes heterostylous, mostly in terminal umbels or sometimes solitary, often on long peduncles held erect from the main stems, occasionally with an involucre of quite conspicuous bracts.
Ovary 2-locular; ovules solitary in each locule, erect from the base, anatropous; style slender, included or exserted; stigma lobes 2, linear, densely papillate or stigma subcapitate-bifid.
Drupe fleshy, containing 2 pyrenes; pyrenes plano-convex, dorsally compressed, obtusely ribbed, rugulose and often with an annular area at junction of ventral and dorsal surfaces, 1-seeded.
Leaves opposite, with mostly long petioles; blades ovate-cordate to rounded-renifonn; stipules interpetiolar, ovate, entire orbilobed at the apex.
Perennial forest floor herbs, mostly with slender creeping stems which root at the nodes and have fibrous roots.
Calyx tube obovoid, the limb short, 5–7-lobed, the lobes subulate or linear, spreading or reflexed, persistent.
Stamens 4–7, inserted in the corolla tube; filaments filiform; anthers dorsifixed, included or exserted.
Seeds the same shape as the pyrenes, the ventral surface plane: testa membranous; endosperm corneous.
Corolla cylindrical or funnel-shaped; lobes 4–7, spreading or recurved; throat pilose inside.
Disk swollen.
