Fls heterostylic, mostly 4-merous, paired, their hypanthia united; cor funnelform, with elongate tube and short, spreading or recurved lobes villous on the inner face; ovary 4-locular, with a single erect ovule in each locule; stigmas 4, slender; fr a twin berry, with 8 seeds; creeping evergreen herbs with axillary or terminal white fls and scarlet (white) berries. 2, the other in ne. Asia.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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