Lianas. Leaves opposite, simple, entire, petiolate or subsessile with some glands, coriaceous, papyraceous or membranaceous; stipules small, at the base of the margin of the petiole. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, of pseudora-cemes, corymbs, or rarely umbels, these solitary or arranged in panicles; pedicels pedunculate; bracts and bracteoles conspicuous. Flowers with the sepals ovate or ovate-oblong, usually 4 sepals bearing glands, or rarely fewer or all 5 glandular; petals clawed, yellow, white, red, or violet, usually glabrous, sometimes seri-ceous dorsally, the limb ovate, obovate or suborbicular, the margin sinuate, cre-nate or fimbriate, the interior petal sometimes glandular; stamens 10, usually glabrous, only slightly unequal or the pair of lateral posterior stamens larger than the rest, the filaments united at the base, the anthers ellipsoid or somewhat ob-long; styles straight or somewhat sigmoid, glabrous or pubescent at the base, the apex truncate with the inner angle stigmatic, protruding or depressed, the pos-terior angle obtuse, acute or apiculate, the ovary trilobed, villose, hirsute or tomentose, rarely glabrescent. Fruit a schizocarp of 3 samaras, these with 1 lateral wing discoid, continuous around the seminiferous area or with 2 lateral wings shaped like butterfly wings, the seminiferous area also bearing a dorsal crest or narrow wings and sometimes also small supplementary wings or tubercles between the dorsal and lateral appendages; cotyledons almost equal, incumbent.
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