Corolla pink or red, sometimes white to green on upper or lower part, the apical swelling often darkening as bud ripens, with pronounced apical (sometimes winged) and basal swellings, splitting unilaterally more than halfway, the lobes revolute.
Flowers 2–20 in umbels (often with 1–2 aborted flowers on the peduncle), 5-merous; bracts at base of peduncle and pedicels small, triangular; flower bract obliquely cupular, with a short triangular or bifid limb, sometimes gibbous or spurred.
Stems mostly 0.5–2(4) m long, generally from a single attachment, but sometimes scandent with numerous secondary haustoria, hairless but sometimes with papillae on youngest parts and umbels.
Leaves opposite, subopposite or ternate, penninerved but second–fourth(fifth) main lateral nerves often closer, stronger and more ascending.
Stamens involute; anthers 4-thecous, emarginate, with distinct connective and the outer pair of thecae shorter and sometimes set lower.
Calyx shorter to longer than the receptacle, cupular or flared, subentire, normally ciliolate.
Berry red to yellow, depressed globose to ellipsoid; seed also brightly coloured.
Style skittle-shaped above; stigma turbinate to peltate.