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Climbing shrubs. Inflorescences axillary, sessile or pedunculate, the flowers disposed in bracteate heads or in corymbose or umbellate cymes. Flowers with the hypanthium somewhat ellipsoid, the lobes 3-6, linear or oblong; corolla usu-ally funnel shaped, the lobes 4-5, shorter than the tube, valvate in bud; stamens 4-5, usually included, the anthers dorsifixed, inserted in the tube or in the throat of the corolla; style usually included, the stigmas 4-5, linear; ovules numerous on axile placentae. Fruits fleshy or leathery, 4-5-celled; seeds numerous, minute.
Flowers sometimes showing limited heterostyly, small or medium sized, in sessile or pedunculate several-to many-flowered paniculate or capitate axillary inflorescences or in a few cases plant cauliflorous (not in Flora Zambesiaca area); bracts often conspicuous, sometimes forming an involucre.
Stamens with very short filaments or ± sessile, the anthers ± medifixed, narrowly oblong, inserted towards the base of the tube in long-styled flowers and near the throat in short-styled flowers but only the tips exserted if at all.
Ovary 4–5-locular with elliptic placentas usually externally covered with ovules; style slender, glabrous, divided into 5 long narrow stigmatic lobes or style with 5 arms terminating in slightly thicker stigmatic lobes.
Leaves opposite, petiolate; stipules shortly sheathing; limbs entire or emarginate, often comparatively large, often reflexing, mostly with conspicuous colleters within.
Calyx tube ellipsoid-oblong or ovoid; limb-tube sometimes cylindrical and elongated; lobes often well developed.
Seeds irregularly ovoid, compressed, mostly angular, finely reticulate or striate.
Corolla usually ± white; tube mostly narrowly cylindrical; lobes small, valvate.
Lianes, straggling shrubs or sometimes scarcely woody climbers, usually ± hairy.
Berries globose, many-seeded, fleshy.
