Shrubs, normally climbing, armed with prickles on stem and leaves. Leaves bipinnate; stipules small, inconspicuous, soon falling, subulate or triangular-subulate; specialized glands restricted to petiole and rhachis absent; leaflets opposite. Inflorescences of terminal and axillary often paniculately aggregated racemes; bracts small, soon falling. Flowers hermaphrodite. Sepals 5, imbricate, unequal, the lower one cucullately embracing the others; hypanthium cupular, regular. Petals 5, equal or almost so. Stamens 10, all fertile; filaments alternately rather longer and shorter, all pubescent below; anthers dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary free, very shortly stipitate; ovule 1, attached near top of ovary; style gradually enlarged near apex; stigma transverse, not peltate. Pods resembling the samara of a sycamore (Acer), with a shortly stipitate basal seed-containing portion (with a single seed) whose upper suture is much prolonged beyond the seed-containing part of the pod and is broadly winged on its lower side, the wing usually becoming wider distally. Seed pendulous, ± compressed, without endosperm.