型態特徵

Lianas with woody or herbaceous stems, or sometimes shrubs, dioecious. Stems and branches often armed with prickles or bristles. Leaves alternate; blade of varying shapes, mostly lanceolate to ovate, 3- to 7-costate, costas connected by reticulate veinlets; petiole sheathing on lower part, with a pair of wings, jointed either at apex or between apex and sheathing portion, or sometimes at apex of sheath; tendrils, when developed, arising from immediately above petiole sheath. Inflorescences of either single umbel at non-prophyllate axils of leaves or of 1-many-umbellate racemes or spikes with main axis prophyllate at base. Perianth segments 6, free or connate at base in staminate flowers of a few species; outer tepals broader than inner ones. Staminate flowers with 6 (rarely 9 to 18) free or rarely monadelphous stamens; anthers unilocular, nearly basifixed; vestigial pistil none. Pistillate flowers with one pistil and 0-6 staminodia; ovary ovoid or globose, locules 3, each containing 1 or 2 anatropous ovules; style very short; stigmas 3, usually recurved. Fruit a berry. Basic chromosome number X = 13, rarely 15.