Dioecious climbers. Leaves spirally arranged, entire, penninerved, strongly reticulate; petiole curved or twisted, lengthwise striate and transversely wrinkled, leaving a raised elliptic white scar. Flowers sessile or sometimes pedicellate (♀ only), clustered (or fascicled) or solitary along the rachis of long, pendulous interrupted or spike-like racemes, these simple or composed to panicles, (4-)5(-6)-merous. Calyx small, cupular, shortly dented, persistent. Petals shortly connate at base, valvate in bud, afterwards recurved, oblong, persistent in ♀ flowers. ♂ Flowers: Stamens 5, exserted; filaments linear; anthers small, elliptic, medifixed, cells slightly divergent downwards. Rudiment of ovary hirsute. ♀ Flowers: Staminodes filiform, whether or not present. Ovary ovoid-oblongoid, hirsute; stigma almost sessile, thick, umbonate. Drupe: exocarp coriaceous, thin; endocarp woody, thin, smooth or slightly verrucose and covered with a white membrane inside, sometimes a little reticulate-foveolate outside in fully mature fruits. Seed 1, testa thin; albumen none; cotyledons fleshy.
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