Climbing shrubs with tough perennial prickly stems. Leaves alternate with a pair of tendrils near base of petiole; lamina with 3-5 strong veins. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic in axillary umbels. Tepals in 2 whorls of 3, free, petaloid. Male flowers with 6 free stamens;ovary 0. Female flowers with 6 staminodes; ovary 3-locular; style 0 or short. Fruit a berry with 1-3 spherical seeds. Worldwide: 3 genera and 320 species in tropical and warm areas. Zimbabwe: 1 genus and 1 taxon. |