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Medium to rather large usually tuberous-rooted climbers, with the stems becoming somewhat woody when old. Leaves simple; blade ovate-cordate in outline, unlobed or palmately 3–5-lobed. Tendrils apically bifid. Flowers rather small, yellowish- or brownish-orange, dioecious, practically regular to strongly zygomorphic. Male flowers in few- to many-flowered panicles; receptacle-tube shallow, saucer-shaped; lobes small, dentiform; petals 5, usually somewhat unequal; stamens 5, all 1-thecous, in 2 pairs with 1 single, the single stamen usually reduced to a staminode; anthers of paired stamens adpressed to one another; connective apically appendaged; thecae short, straight. Female flowers in rather few-flowered panicles; ovary trigonous; ovules several, pendulous; perianth as in ♂ flowers; styles 3. Fruit a flask-shaped trigonous pendulous capsule, dry, brownish and opening by an apical triradiate slit when ripe. Seeds fusiform, with a large membranous wing. Fig. 25, p. 146.Three species in tropical Africa, two in South Africa.