Twining shrubs, lianas or rarely suffruticose and erect; branches often with abundant lenticels. Leaves opposite, coriaceous, chartaceous or membranaceous, petiolate with sunken or stalked glands; stipules obsolete. Inflorescences cymose-paniculate, generally thyrsoid with the ultimate branches arranged in cymes, um-bels or racemes; pedicels pedunculate or sessile; bracts and bracteoles conspic-uous. Flowers with the calyx of 5 sepals more or less united at the base, 4 generally biglandular, sometimes all eglandular; petals yellow, pink or white, clawed, the limb orbicular or oblong, entire or slightly denticulate, the base ob-tuse, truncate or sagittate; stamens 10, glabrous, somewhat unequal, the 5 epi-sepalous stamens larger, the filaments glabrous, flattened, united at the base, the anthers ellipsoid, subglobose or oblong, uniform, all fertile, glabrous or rarely pilose; styles free, erect, thick, glabrous, or somewhat pilose at the base, truncate at the apex with the internal angle stigmatic, the abaxial angle obtuse, acute or apiculate the ovary trilobate or trigibbose, tomentose or hirsute. Fruit a schizo-carp of 2 or 3 samaras, the dorsal wing well developed, membranaceous or co-riaceous, its dorsal margin thickened, the ventral margin thin; body smooth or with short crests.
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Woody vines [shrubs or small trees]. Leaves bearing glands on blade [and/or petiole, rarely eglandular]; stipules borne on [beside] base of petiole [absent], distinct. Inflorescences axillary or terminal or both, umbels or corymbs [pseudoracemes], these single or grouped in racemes or panicles. Pedicels raised on peduncles [sessile]. Flowers all chasmogamous, 6+ mm diam., showy with visible petals, stamens, and styles; calyx glands 0 or 8 (sepals all eglandular or 4 lateral 2-glandular); corollas bilaterally symmetric, petals pink or pink and white [white, light yellow, bronze, or dark red], glabrous [rarely hairy]; stamens 10, all fertile; anthers ± alike; pistil 3-carpellate, carpels connate proximally in ovary; styles 3, cylindric; stigmas on internal angle [very rarely terminal], large. Fruits schizocarps, breaking into 3 samaras; samaras bearing 1 elongate dorsal wing [rarely rudimentary or absent] thickened on abaxial edge, veins bending toward thinner adaxial edge, and usually single or double crown of short, irregular lateral winglets [crests] on each side [winglets and crests absent]; nut wall thick, tough. x = 10.
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