Description:

• Woody climbers, often very tall
• Leaves opposite, simple, entire, shortly petioled, penninerved, often acuminate; axillary glands 0; stipules 0
• Inflorescence terminal or axillary, paniculate or corymbose, rarely a few-flowered cyme
• Flowers relatively small, white or purple, usually fragrant
• Calyx small, divided almost to base, eglandular or with 5 glands; lobes imbricate, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or rotundate
• Corolla funnel-shaped or campanulate, usually widest or slightly constricted at mouth, glabrous within, usually with fleshy, projecting calli or scales just above insertion of stamens; lobes longer than tube, mostly very narrow, overlapping to the right
• Stamens inserted above base of corolla tube; filaments very short, stout; anthers 4-locular, conniving in a cone around style, lanceolate, apiculate, long-sagittate at base, polliniferous in upper part only, with foot of connective hollowed out
• Disc saucer-shaped or cupular, subtruncate, sinuate or 5-lobed
• Ovary of 2 free carpels, slightly inferior, subtruncate, usually pubescent; style shorter than stamens; stigma ellipsoid with 5 pits and small, 2-lobed apex
• Mericarps 2, follicular, usually cylindric and slender
• Seeds linear-lanceolate to oblong, truncate at tip with a deciduous, apical tuft of hairs
• x = 11

Nomenclature:

• Baissea A.DC.
  • Candolle: 424 (1844)
  • Codd: 276 (1963)
  • De Kruif: 495 (1985)
  • Van Dilst: 89 (1995)
• Zygodia Benth.
  • Bentham: 716 (1879).
• Perinerion Baill.
  • Baillon: 758 (1888).
• Guerkea K.Schum.
  • Schumann: 180, fig. 59 (1895).
• Conodura K.Schum.
  • Schumann: 229 (1896)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 18, continental Africa, Angola, Zambia
• Southern Africa: Species 1: Baissea wulfhorstii Schinz, N Namibia, N Botswana