Scandent herbs, us. monoec. or dioec. Infl. axillary, cymose to a solitary fl.; fls regular, 5-merous. ♂ with variously modified androecium, anthers dehiscing by a longitudinal slit; ♀ with inferior, us. 3-carpelled, ovary. Fr. baccate, with ∞ seeds; cots large, endosperm 0. Family mainly tropical and subtropical with some 100 genera and over 850 spp.

Monoecious or dioecious herbs; stems scandent or prostrate, creeping, mostly scabrid. Tendrils commonly present, lateral, simple or branched, spirally coiled. Fls generally solitary, actinomorphic, 5-merous. ♂ fls: calyx united, the lobes imbricate or not touching; petals gamopetalous or free; stamens (1)-3-(5), free or variously united; one anther always 1-locular, the others 2-locular, mostly syngenesious and contorted; connective often produced. ♀ fls: calyx adnate to ovary and often produced above; petals similar to those of ♂ fls; staminodes often present; ovary nearly always inferior; placentas (2)-3-(5), parietal but usually projecting into ovary cavity; ovules mostly numerous; styles usually simple; stigmas thick, usually divided. Fr. nearly always fleshy, mostly indehiscent, often large, with a thick skin or rind and a pulpy interior with embedded seeds. Seeds non-endospermic, generally flattened.