Climbing herb or small shrubs, sometimes succulent, roots often tuberous, stem mostly 4 angled rarely winged, glabrous-pubescent. Tendril leaf opposed, simple or forked, stipules in pair, caducous. Leaves alternate, simple entire, lobed or 3-5 foliate, ptiolate. Inflorescence of axillary or terminal corymbs, umbels or cymes, opposite the leaves. Flowers 4-merous, bisexual or functionally male. Clayx cupular, entire or shallowy 4-lobed. Petals 4, valvate, cucullate or slightly spreading, and falling separately after anthesis. Disc cupular, margin 4-lobed, surrounding the ovary and adherent to its base. Ovary bilocular, biovulate, style subulate, often persisting, stigma small discoid. Berry 1-2 seeded. Seeds obovoid, attenuate at the base, often trigonous.