Canelike or vinelike plants; leaves (in Flagellaria) ending in coiling tendrils; leaf-sheaths embracing the stems, closed; flowers in terminal panicles; perianth hypogynous; segments 6, free, in 2 imbricate series; stamens 6, filaments free; ovary superior, 3-celled, with a 3-lobed style; ovules solitary in each cell; fruit indehiscent, drupaceous. Three genera of the Paleotropics. One genus present locally.