Habit: Vining herbs with tendrils, rarely trees/shrubs
Leaves: alternate, palmately veined, simple/lobed, no stipules
Plants: monoecious (rarely polygamous)
Inflorescence: solitary, cymes, panicles, racemes
Flowers: imperfect, actinomorphic
Sepals: 5, distinct or connate, or absent
Stamens: 5, distinct or connate
Ovary: nectary disk, 2-5 (1) connate carpels, ovary inferior, 1 locule, 3-many parietal ovules, or 2-5 locules with axil placentation, style 1, simple or lobed
Fruit: pepo, berry, capsule, or achene