Ancistrocladus
The only genus in the family Ancistrocladaceae is ancistrocladus, a little-known genus of about 20 species. These are palaeotropical, climbing, twining plants. The sparingly branched, sympodial stem is complex and can exceed 10 cm in diameter. It is along one side attached to the tree with grapnels, opposite to the leaves. Their leaves are borne in dense, evergreen rosettes. They are entire, have short petioles and lack stipules. They have a single wax-secreting trichome in the epidermal pits and glands on the abaxial surface. The flowers are small with a basally connate corolla, that are imbricate or rolled up lengthwise. The fruit is a nut with often wing-like accrescent sepals. The species of ancistrocladus are native to tropical Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Ancistrocladus can be found in the tropics of the Old World.