Climber or creeper to 6 m, with tuberous root-stock. Leaves herbaceous to coriaceous, entire, ovate-elliptic to linear, top acute, up to 2 cm acuminate, base rounded, rarely subacute, (1½-)2-16 by (¼-½-7½ cm, pinninerved; nerves 5-12 pairs; petiole (⅓-)½-3½ cm. Glands at blade-base 2, free or contiguous, ½-1½ mm ø, situated on the mostly slightly 2-lobed, up to 5 mm broad peltate base; blade-glands up to ½ mm ø, 0-9 at either side, situated marginal or rarely submarginal Inflorescences up to 10 cm peduncled, rarely (sub)-sessile in short-shoots up to 3 cm; in ♂ up to 30-flowered, often cincinnate, in ♀ 1-3-flowered; tendrils 0-3, ½-1 cm. Sterile tendrils simple or 3-fid, 1-10 cm, sometimes ending in adhesive disks. Bracts and bracteoles triangular to oblong, acute, ½-1½ mm. Plants dioecious or monoecious. ♂ Flowers including the 1-7 mm long stipe 8-17 by 1-4 mm, the sepals spreading in anthesis up to c. 10 mm wide. Hypanthium cup-shaped, 1-2(-3) mm; calyx tube 0(-2) mm. Sepals free or nearly so, oblong to lanceolate-linear, acute to obtuse, 4½-15 mm. Petals elliptic to oblong, ± unguicu-late, obtuse to subcute, 4-10 by 1¼-3 mm, finely serrulate. Filamentsa 2½-3½ mm, connate for 1-2½ mm. Anthers 2-3½ by ½-¾ mm, obtuse to subacute, up to 1 mm apiculate. Septa 1-2 mm high. Corona composed of fine hairs or a finely laciniate membrane O.1-½ mm. Disk glands ½-1 mm. ♀ Flowers including the 1-3(-5) mm long stipe 6-16 by 1-2½ mm. Hypanthium cup-shaped ½-1½ mm. Calyx tube 0. Sepals oblong to lanceolate-linear, acute to obtuse, 4-10 mm. Petals elliptic to oblong, obtuse, 2-5 by ¾-1¼ mm, ± finely serrulate. Staminodes 1-1½ mm, connate for ¼-½ mm. Septa ¼-½ mm high. Corona hairs ¼-½ mm. Disk glands c. ½ mm. Pistil 3½-6 mm; gynophore c. ½ mm; ovary ellipsoid to oblong, 2-3 by 1¼-1½ mm; styles connate for up to 0.5 mm, style-arms 1-2 mm; stigmas finely papillate, each c. 1 mm ø. Fruit 1, ellipsoid to oblong, top obtuse to subacute, excluding the 2-25 mm long gynophore (1¾-)2-5½(-6) by 1¼-3 cm; pericarp (dry) coriaceous, ¼-½ mm. Seeds (3-)5-15 subglobular or flattened or sub-triangular, 5-11 by 5-11 by 3-4 mm, smooth or grooved or variously pitted; embryo 5-9 mm; cotyledons suborbicular, sometimes obliquely truncate, 5-9 by 5-8 mm.
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Vines, to 6 m long, glabrous. Rootstock tuberous. Stems terete, slender; internodes 1-10 cm; tendrils simple or 3-forked, 1-10 cm. Stipules triangular, ca. 0.5 mm; petioles 0.5-2 cm; glands at blade-petiole junction 2, on slightly bi-lobed peltate extension of base of blade, ca. 1 mm in diam.; leaf blade elliptic to lanceolate, 2-16 × 0.5-4 cm, membranous to leathery, not punctate, glands near leaf margin 0-9, base rounded, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate. Plants (monoecious or) dioecious. Inflorescences usually tendrillate, occasionally of short racemose shoots, pedunculate for 1-10 cm, to 30-flowered in males, 1-3-flowered in females; bracts and bracteoles triangular, ca. 1 mm, apex acute. Pedicel 0.5-4 mm. Flowers narrowly campanulate, 6-17 × 1-4 mm; stipe cream-colored, 1-7 mm. Hypanthium narrowly cup-shaped, 1-2.5 mm deep. Calyx tube to 2 mm; lobes reflexed, oblong to linear, 4-15 mm, apex entire to irregular, rounded to acute. Petals inserted at level of corona, elliptic to linear, 4-10 mm, apex serrulate, rounded to acute. Septa 0.25-2 mm high. Corona laciniate, membranous, occasionally of woolly filaments at apex of hypanthium. Disk glands linear, ca. 1 mm, truncate. Male flowers: filaments 2-3 mm, connate for ca. 2 mm, inserted at base of hypanthium, septa occasionally spanning entire length of hypanthium; anthers ca. 3 × 0.5 mm, to 1 mm apiculate; vestigial ovary including gynophore ca. 1 mm. Female flowers: staminodes ca. 1 mm, connate for ca. 0.5 mm, inserted at base of hypanthium; ovary 3-6 mm; gynophore ca. 0.5 mm; styles 1-2 mm, connate for up to 0.5 mm; stigmas globose, woolly. Capsules 1 per inflorescence, scarlet at dehiscence, oblong, ca. 4 × 2 cm, with gynophore to 4 cm, exocarp and mesocarp leathery. Seeds ca. 10 per capsule, subglobose or flattened; funicles of seeds 5-10 mm. Fl. and fr. throughout year, mostly around Oct.
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