A climbing or twining vine, rarely erect shrub or a small tree. Leaves spiral, estipulate, simple, rarely trifoliolate, often palmatinerved, seldom penninerved; petiole swollen at base and apex. Inflorescences often cymes, thyrses or pseudoracemes, branching of cymes umbelliform, rarely reduced to 1-flowered; bracts usually small, scarcely foliaceous; flowers usually small, inconspicuously colored, unisexual, dioecious, commonly with 2 whorls each of sepals and petals, rarely apetalous. Drupes with exocarp membranous or leathery; mesocarp usually fleshy; endocarp bony or sometimes woody, rarely leathery, rugose or variously ornamented on surface, rarely smooth. Seed often curved; seed coat thin; endosperm present or absent. |
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