Deciduous lianes; bark usually peeling in long strips; pith brown, interrupted at nodes with septa. Tendrils simple or forked, lacking disc-like tips. Lvs simple, usually palmately lobed; petiole often long. Fls in lf-opposed panicles, mostly unisexual, sometimes ☿. Calyx 5-lobed, minute. Petals 5, united distally, falling as a cap at anthesis. Disc prominent, consisting of 5 glandular scales. Ovary 2-celled; ovules 2 per cell; style short. Berry 2-4-seeded, usually black or dark purplish black, often with a glaucous bloom, occasionally green or yellow; pulp soft, watery, often sweet.