Adenia gracilis Harms

Subherbaceous climber up to 10 m., twigs brownish green or grey-green, sometimes pruinose, faintly spotted or not.. Leaf-blades pale green to grey-glaucous beneath, mostly warty-punctate, entire or up to half-way 3–5(–7)-lobed, orbicular to ovate or ± 3–5-angular in outline, base cordate to rounded, top obtuse to acute-acuminate, 1–6(–7.5) by 1–5.5(–8) cm., 3-nerved from base and in addition (1–)2 pairs of nerves from near the base of the midrib, ascending or ± straight with sharp angles from the midrib and ending in marginal glands; reticulation fine, usually distinct; margin entire or minutely toothed; lobes triangular to rounded, up to 2 cm.; petiole 1–7 cm.. Gland at blade-base single, on a median subcircular to spathulate appendage 1–3 mm.; blade glands 0–6, submarginal or scattered; marginal glands minute, mostly tooth-like, blackish, 1–6 at either side of the blade.. Stipules broadly rounded, finely lacerate, 0.5(–1) mm.. Inflorescences peduncled for (0.2–)0.5–1.5(–3) cm., up to 10-flowered in ♂, 1–3-flowered in ♀, usually in the axils of smaller leaves of special inflorescence-bearing twigs, tendril 0 or 1, 0.5–1.5 cm.; sterile tendrils simple or 3-fid, 6–15 cm.. Male flowers ± campanulate, including the 1.5–5 mm. long stipe 9–13(–15) mm.; hypanthium shallowly cup-shaped, 0.7–1.5 by 2–3 mm.; calyx-tube 0; sepals lanceolate, subobtuse to subacute, 5–8 by 1.5–2.5 mm., subentire, punctate or dotted; petals oblanceolate to linear, obtuse, 5–8.5 mm., 3(–5)-nerved, lacerate-fimbriate in upper half, sparingly punctate or not; filaments 2–2.5(–3) mm., connate for about 1–1.5 mm., inserted at the base of the hypanthium; anthers 3.5–5 mm., obtuse; septa up to 0.3 mm. high; corona conspicuous, either as a 5-partite fleshy annulus or as 5 cap-shaped parts, 0.2–0.5 mm. high; disk glands 0.. Female flowers campanulate, including the 0.2(–0.5) mm. long stipe 3.5–4.5 mm.; hypanthium flattish, 0.3–0.5 by 1.5–2 mm.; calyx-tube 0; sepals oblong-lanceolate, subacute, 2.5–4 by ± 0.7 mm., entire, sparingly punctate; petals linear, subacute, ± 1 mm., 1-nerved, subentire, not punctate; staminodes ± 0.3 mm.; septa ± 0.2 mm. high; corona a fleshy 5-lobed annulus, ± 0.3 mm. high; disk glands 0; gynophore 0.3–0.5 mm.; ovary ovoid, 2–3 mm.; style 0.7–1 mm.; stigmas subsessile, subreniform, laciniate-papillate, each ± 0.7 mm. in diameter.. Fruits 1(–2) per inflorescence, ovoid to ellipsoid-oblong, ± fusiform, faintly 3(–6)-angular, excluding the 0.5–1 mm. long gynophore 1–2 cm.; pericarp coriaceous, 0.2–0.5 mm. thick, smooth or finely pitted or warted.. Seeds 25–40 per capsule, subovoid, 3–4 mm.