Shrub or shrubby tree to 6 m, glabrous; main stem mostly thick, soft-woody, branched or not, up to 2 x 0.6 m; branches shrubby or lianoid, provided with tendrils. Leaves some grey-green or glaucous, punctate or not beneath, simple or 3-5-foliolate, in outline ovate to suborbicular, base (sub)cordate, 1-8 x 1-8 cm, (1-)3-5-plinerved; petiole (0.3-)1-5 cm; leaflets (or lobes) orbicular, ovate or obovate, base rounded to attenuate, apex subacute to broadly rounded, rarely retuse, 1-6 x 1-4(-6) cm, ± penninerved; margin entire; petiolule 0-5(-7) mm. Gland at blade-base 1, on a fleshy ± upward curved median lobelet at the top of the petiole; no other glands present. Stipules narrowly triangular, c. 0.5 mm. Inflorescences either solitary in the leaf-axils, or grouped in short-shoots, peduncled up to c. 1 cm, 2-5-flowered in cj, 1-3-flowered in 9; tendrils 0; sterile tendrils 3-12 cm, sometimes breaking off and leaving a thorn-like structure. Male flowers campanulate, including the 0.5-5 mm long stipe 9-17 mm; hypanthium cup-shaped, 1-2.5 x 2.5-4.5 mm; calyx-tube 0; sepals lanceolate, obtusish, 7-9(-10) mm, (sub)entire; petals oblong to lanceolate, acute, 4-8 mm, 3-nerved, serrulate; filaments 1.5-4 mm, connate for 0.5-2 mm, inserted at the base of the hypanthium; anthers 3-6.5 mm, obtuse, septa 1-2 mm high; corona consisting of fine hairs 0.2-0.5(-1) mm, sometimes partly membranous; disc-glands c. 0.5 mm, or absent. Female flowers campanulate, including the 0.5-1 mm long stipe 7-9 mm; hypanthium 1-1.5 x 2.5-3.5 mm; calyx-tube 0, sepals oblanceolate, obtuse, 5-7 mm, entire; petals lanceolate, acute, 3-4 mm; septa 1(-2) mm high; corona consisting of fine hairs 0.2-0.5 mm or nearly absent disck-glands 0-0.5 mm; gynophore 1.5-3 mm; ovary subglobose 2.5-4 mm; styles connate for 0.5-0.7 mm, style-arms 1-1.5 mm diam. Fruit 1-2 per inflorescence, subglobose (to ellipsoid), excluding the 2-5 mm long gynophore 1-2 x 0.8-1.8 cm; pericarp coriaceous; seeds 3-6 per capsule, broad ovate to orbicular, 6-6.5 mm.
Home