Manekia members are characterized by
scandent or
lianescent habits and by short
sympodial branches holding the spikes. Flowers possess four stamens, four-carpellate pistils with four or five stigmas. Berries are fully or partially immersed in the rachis. When compared to other Piperaceae genera, the ecology of
Manekia appears rather distinct, with plants invading forest litter, forming large mats of reptant stems, and eventually colonizing nearby
phorophytes, reaching the
canopy, and often forming large masses on the top before blooming. == Phylogeny ==