Climbers, woody, rarely herbaceous, usually polygamo-dioecious. Tendrils unbranched or bifurcate, sometimes palmately branched. Leaves usually palmately 3-5-foliolate or pedately 5-7-foliolate, rarely simple. Inflorescence a polychasium, an umbel, or a compound cyme. Flowers 4-merous. Petals spreading, free, usually hooded or galeate, sometimes corniculate. Stamens short, abortive in female flowers. Disk well developed in male flowers, inconspicuous in female flowers. Style conspicuous or inconspicuous; stigma usually 4-divided, rarely irregularly divided. Berry globose, ellipsoid, or obovoid, 1-4-seeded. Seed elliptic, obovoid-elliptic, or obtriangular, abaxial surface with a linear to orbicular chalazal knot, adaxial surface with a linear raphe; cross-section of endosperm T- or M-shaped.

The type of Tetrastigma megalocarpum W. T. Wang (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 17(3): 82. 1979), described from Yunnan, could not be located. It was said by C. L. Li to be a mixed gathering: leaf of Tetrastigma and fruit of Spondias Linnaeus (Anacardiaceae).

About 100 species: Asia to Oceania; 44 species (24 endemic) in China.

(Authors: Ren Hui (任辉); Jun Wen (文军))