Mostly perennial, herbs, shrubs or lianas. Leaves exstipulate, alternate, simple, entire or 3- lobed, petiolate, with oil glands. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, racemes, cymes or corymbs or flowers solitary axillary. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic or actinomorphic, trimerous, epigynous. Perianth usually petaloid, brownish or purple, mostly connate into distinct tube, tube cylindric, campanulate, subglobose or funnel-form; limb rotate, urceolate, cylindric or ligulate, 1-3 lobed. Stamens (4-) 6-12 (-36), in 1 or 2 series; filaments adnate to ovary or style column with anthers free or both filaments and anthers adnate to style column to form gynostegium; anthers bithecous, dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary usually inferior, 4-6 locular, placentation parietal or axile, ovules many per loculus; style short and stout, stigmas as many as carpels. Fruit a septicidal, dehiscing basally, seeds numerous.

8 genera and 733 species

Aristolochia littoralis