Lianas reaching over 30 m; larger stems fluted, to 30 cm in diameter, the younger stems often angled. Leaves simple, mostly elliptical, ovate or obovate to oblong, glabrous or occasionally stellate. Inflorescences of panicles terminal on lateral branches, sometimes racemose. Flowers often fragrant; sepals 5, equal to subequal, ovate to rotund, the inner often emarginate, the outer acute to rounded, mostly coriaceous with membranaceous margins, ciliate, glabrous or pubescent; corolla funnelform to campanulate, white to violet or pinkish, the lobes mostly shallow, rounded or acute, pubescent on the interplicae; stamens usually included, the filaments triangular-dilate, glandular-pubescent, filiform above, the anthers subsagittate to sagittate, narrowly ovate, the pollen 3-colpate or pantocolpate; ovary incompletely bilocular with a partial septum in lower portion, mostly glabrous, occasionally pubescent apically, the style entire, rarely divided for '/2 the length or less, the stigma capitate, bilobate, the lobes free or closely appressed and the style entire. Fruits nut-like, rounded to ellipsoid, the pericarp ligneous, firm to hard; seeds 1-4 through abortion, glabrous, ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid, rounded, flattened or trigonous if more than one per fruit.
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