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Scandent herbs, shrubs or woody vines. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4, petiolate, simple, dentate to subentire. Inflorescence a dense terminal or axillary corymbose panicle with sub-corymbose branches. Capitula homogamous, of 4 florets, cylindrical; involucral bracts ±herbaceous, subequal, 4, free, imbricate, with 1 smaller subtending bract at base; receptacle flat, naked (lacking paleae). Disc florets 4, bisexual; corolla tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed, glabrous or variously hairy, white or pink. Achenes slender, 4–10 ribbed, glabrous or glandular. Pappus of numerous slender scabrid bristles in 1 or 2 series.
Heads discoid, the fls 4, all tubular and perfect; invol narrow, of 4 principal bracts and occasionally a few short outer ones; receptacle small, naked; cor white to pink or ochroleucous; style branches papillate, elongate, linear, acutish, with short ventromarginal stigmatic lines near the base; achenes 5-angled; pappus a single series of numerous capillary bristles, usually connate at base; mostly perennial twining vines, with opposite, simple, usually petiolate lvs and numerous small heads. 200+, mainly trop. Amer.
