Climbers or lianas, rarely erect shrubs or small trees, dioecious; indumentum of simple hairs, often absent. Stems striate. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petioles swollen at base and apex; leaf blade simple, rarely trifoliate, usually palmately veined, often peltate. Flowers small, unisexual or polygamous, greenish, actinomorphic, arranged in panicles, cymes or racemes, axillary or borne on older wood. Male Flowers: Sepals free or united, (4-) 6 (-8), 2-seriate, outer often minute, very rarely 1-3 or none. Petals usually 6, 2-seriate. Stamens 6 (usually as many as petals), usually antipetalous, sometimes 3 or 2 or more; filaments free or connate in a column; anthers short, often extrorse, mono- or bithecous, dehiscing by a longitudinal, transverse or circular slit. Rudimentary carpels minute or absent. Female Flowers: Calyx and corolla same as in male flowers. Staminodes 6 or absent. Carpels 3 or 6, rarely one or several, free, sessile or stipitate, uniovulate. Fruit a drupaceous with style-scar subterminal or basal or subbasal due to eccentric growth. Seeds usually hooked or reniform, often horseshoe-shaped; albumen copious, ruminate or absent. Anatomically wood is characterised by presence of broad medullary rays alternating with wedges of wood and by the large vessels.

65 genera and 350 species

Cissampelos pareira var. hirsuta

Tinospora cordifolia

Tinospora sinensis