Lianes. Lvs alternate, pinnately compound; terminal pair of leaflets modified as tendrils; basal pair of leaflets stipule-like. Fls axillary, solitary or few together, ☿, actinomorphic. Peduncles long. Calyx 5-merous, deeply lobed, large and leaflike. Corolla 5-merous, campanulate; lobes < tube. Stamens 5, epipetalous; anthers exserted, versatile, 2-locular. Disc large, fleshy, deeply lobed. Ovary superior, 3-locular; ovules 2 or more on axile placentas. Style 3-lobed. Fr. a septicidal capsule, 3-valved, leathery. Seeds winged.

Annual or perennial herbs or occasionally shrubs. Lvs alternate or opposite, entire to pinnate or palmate, exstipulate. Fls usually terminal, often crowded in corymbose heads, ☿, usually actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic. Calyx 5-merous, generally deeply lobed. Corolla 5-merous, funnelform, campanulate, or rotate; lobes contorted. Stamens 5, epipetalous, included or exserted; anthers versatile, sometimes unequal. Ovary superior, inserted on a disc, (2)-3-locular; ovules 1 or more in each cell; style 1; stigmas (2)-3. Fr. usually a loculicidal capsule, rarely indehiscent. Seeds endospermic.