MENISPERMACEAE  

Climbing shrubs. Leaves simple, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, base cuneate, entire, petiolate. Inflorescence: axillary panicles. Male flowers: sepals 6, inner 3 longer than outer 3; petals 6, outer 3 longer than inner 3; stamens 6, filaments connate, anthers with transverse dehiscence. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male; staminodes 6; carpels 3. Drupe ellipsoid; endocarp glabrous; condyle scutelliform. Seeds: endosperm weakly ruminate at ventral side; cotyledons foliaceous.

Somewhat woody lianes with dense indumentum and tuberous rootstock. Leaves palmately 3-5(7)-lobed, strigose on both surfaces; petiole long. Male inflorescences of elongate axillary panicles, lateral axes bearing 3-7-flowered clusters. Male flowers with 6 sepals, 3 outer ones elongate to elliptic, 3 inner ones obovate; petals 6, somewhat concave, mostly abruptly bent inwards at apex and with margins incurved and enveloping androecium; stamens 6, free or connate; anthers introrse, globular; thecae with transverse dehiscence. Female inflorescences of axillary racemes. Female flowers with sepals and petals +/- similar to those of male; staminodes 6, tongue-shaped. Carpels 3, subovoid; styles small, recurved; stigma broad, produced into 2- or 3-cleft lamellae. Drupelets ovoid or subovoid; exocarp strigose-hispid or setulose; endocarp ovoid, flattened, ventral side +/- smooth, dorsal side clothed with many fibrillose hairs. Seeds with fleshy, ruminate endosperm.

Climbers with simple leaves. Flowers in pseudoracemes. Male flowers: sepals 6, inner 3 much larger than outer 3; stamens 3, filaments connate, anthers with transverse dehiscence. Female plants unknown.

Lianes with yellowish hairs. Leaves simple, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, discolorous. Male inflorescences of 4-6-flowered corymbs. Male flowers sessile or shortly pedicellate; sepals 9-24, pubescent to hairy on outside, 3-12 outer ones bract-like, sublinear to subovate, 3-6 median ones subspathulate or similar to outer ones, inner ones ovate-elliptic, much larger than others; petals 3-6, arising at base of androecium, small and glabrous; stamens 9-18 with filaments connate into a synandrium, anthers subsessile, thecae with transverse dehiscence. Female inflorescences similar to male. Female flowers: petals 3, similar to those of male flowers; staminodes 3 or 0; carpels 3-6, subovoid; ovary pubescent; style cylindric and glabrous. Drupe ovoid or subglobular, endocarp woody. Seeds without endosperm.