Mostly lianas or creepers, rarely trees, erect shrubs or herbs, with copious water juice. Leaves alternate, simple, mostly petiolate, palmately lobed or palmately compound, rarely pinnately compound. Stipules membranous, often conspicuous, sometimes absent. Inflorescence umbellate, paniculate or spicate, leaf-opposed cymes or racemes, peduncles often modified into branched or unbranched tendrils, sometimes terminating into sticky discs. Flowers small, actinomorphic, bisexual or unisexual (plants then dioecious or polygamo-monoecious), 4- or 5-merous, hypogynous, bracteolate. Sepals (3-) 4-5 (-7), connate into entire, 3-7-lobed or toothed cupular calyx. Petals 3-7, usually 4-5, free or connate at base or apex, valvate, caducous. Stamens as many as and opposite the petals, inserted below the disc; anthers free or coherent, bithecous, dehiscence longitudinal, usually introrse. Carpels 2-8, usually 2, syncarpous, ovary superior, 2- (3-8)-locular, ovules (1-) 2 per loculus on axile placentas; style simple, short; stigma terminal, capitate or discoid, rarely 4-lobed or absent. Fruit 4-seeded berry; seeds erect, albuminous.

18 genera and about 985 species

Cayratia trifolia

Vitis vinifera