Large woody or herbaceous twiners. Leaves petioled, ovate, mostly cordate at the base and palmately nerved, rarely penninerved, entire, herbaceous. Inflorescences racemose or paniculate, rarely flowers solitary. Bracts leaf-like, or minute and subulate, or none. Sepals 5, small in flower, the 3 outer ones or all in fruit much accrescent, scarious, reticulately veined, spreading, often spathulate, falling off with the fruit. Corolla regular, white, small, campanulate or funnel-shaped, rarely larger and funnel-or salver-shaped; limb subentire or 5-lobed. Stamens and style included, rarely exserted. Stamens 5; filaments adnate to the corolla, filiform, glabrous, or glandular or pubescent at the base; pollen smooth. Disk annular or none. Ovary mostly glabrous, 1-celled, 2-ovuled, or 1-2-celled, 4-ovuled; style 1, simple, or bifid with unequal branches; stigma globose or 2-lobed, solitary, or one on each branch. Capsule small, subglobose to oblong, 2-valved, or indehiscent. Seed usually 1, glabrous.
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