A family of trailing and climbing annual and tuberous perennial herbs in the warmer parts of the world, in West Africa common in the drier parts, though not as weeds. Since the publication of the account of the family in the Flora of West tropical Africa in 1954, several new genera have been recognised (names given in parentheses in the following account). The family is still probably undercollected, ♀ flowers and fruits of dioecious species mostly being needed. As the fruits are difficult to preserve and transport, local studies on plants grown from seed would be appropriate.

The West African genera almost all have Old World affinities, and are on the western edge of their range.

Members of the family may be recognised by their exstipulate, simple, digitately 3–7-lobed leaves, each accompanied by a tendril. Small cymes of ♂ flowers and (often) solitary ♀ flowers are produced, both kinds of flowers shallow, with five fragile, veined yellow or white petals. In the ♂ flower, each anther has only two loculi – it opens by one slit – and the anthers are often complexly folded. In ♀ flowers, the ovary is inferior and one-celled, with three stigmas.

Introduced species are of economic interest, though many species can be grown as decorative climbers.

A few genera can be distinguished on vegetative characters, but usually flowers and fruits are needed.