Herbs, trailing or climbing, dioecious herb; vegetative branches soft, angular or grooved, prostrate; leaves ovate, 2-10 x 1-6 cm, acuminate at apex, cordate at base, membranous, glabrous, 7 nerved at the base; lower leaves long petioled, upper almost sessile, amplexicaulate much narrower, often with unequal lobes; stipules various; spikes unisexual, rarely bisexual; flowers minute, each in the axil of a bract, with or without bracteoles; bracts peltate or cupular, adnate to rhachis, sometimes, ducurrent, with or without raised margins; male spike slender, 2.5- 7.5 cm long; yellow, stamens 2-4, rarely 5 or more, filaments short; female spike usually up to 2.5 cm long; ovary 1 celled, locular, ovule solitary, erect, stigmas sessile, 2-5 lobed; fruiting spikes short, suberect, fleshy up to 2-2.5 cm long.