Medium-sized to robust liana up to 20 (in W. and equatorial Africa up to 45) m., glabrous; older stems terete, 3–5-winged or with 5 rows of coarse fleshy tubercles, up to 10 cm. thick at base.. Leaf-blades not punctate, entire or more rarely shallowly 3(–5)-lobed or coarsely sinuate, ovate to obovate, or orbicular to oblong, base acute to deeply cordate, or hastate, top acute to rounded, up to 2 cm. acuminate, 3.5–25 by 2.5–20 cm., pinninerved with 5–7 stronger nerves from near base; margin entire; petiole 1.5–15 cm.. Glands at blade-base 2, in 2 ± hollowed auricles 1.5–6 mm. in diameter lateral at the top of the petiole; blade-glands submarginal, 0–6 on either half of the blade.. Stipules triangular, 0.5–1 mm., withering.. Inflorescences peduncled for up to 12 cm., often sessile or subsessile on the lower part of the branches, up to 30-flowered in ♂, 1–6-flowered in ♀; tendril (0–)1, up to 20 cm., in sessile inflorescences tendril mostly absent; sterile tendrils simple or 3-fid, up to 25 cm.. Male flowers broadly tubiform-campanulate, including the 0.5–2 mm. long stipe 16–37 mm.; hypanthium saucer-shaped, ± 5-saccate, 2.5–5 by 10–18 mm.; calyx-tube (5–)7–15 mm.; calyx-lobes ± elongate-triangular, subobtuse to acute, crenulate-laciniate, 7–14 mm.; petals mostly broadly spathulate, long-clawed, or elliptic-oblong, 4–13 by 2.5–5 mm., 3–5-nerved, lacerate-fimbriate, inserted at the same level as the corona; filaments 2–6 mm., connate 0.5–1.5 mm., inserted at the base of the hypanthium; anthers (6–)7–12 mm., acute, apiculate; septa 0.5–1.5 mm. high; corona consisting of woolly hairs 1–2 mm.; disk glands 2–3 mm.. Female flowers broadly tubiform-campanulate, resembling ♂ flowers, including the ± 0.5 mm. long stipe 12–25(–30) mm.; hypanthium flattish, 2–3 by 7–15 mm.; calyx-tube (4–)5–10 mm.; calyx-lobes 7–16 mm.; petals linear to spathulate, subobtuse, (4–)5–9 mm., 1–3(–5)-nerved, laciniate-fimbriate, inserted at the same level as the corona; staminodes 3–6 mm.; septa, corona and disk glands as in ♂; gynophore (0.5–)1–2.5 mm.; ovary ovoid to ellipsoid, (3.5–)4–8 mm.; styles free or connate for up to 2 mm., style-arms 1.5–5 mm.; stigmas reniform, woolly-papillate, each 2.5–5 mm. in diameter.. Fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, pear-shaped (obovate, tapering into the gynophore), obtuse, excluding the 1–5 mm. long gynophore 3–8 by 1.5–4.5 cm.; pericarp coriaceous outside, firmly fleshy inside, 4–10 mm. thick, smooth.. Seeds 40–150 per capsule, ellipsoid to suborbicular, 3.5–5(–6) mm.. Fig. 7.
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