Almost invariably a small or medium-sized shrub, but occasionally a small tree or even described as a climber ( Bally 4691) or prostrate shrub ( Adams 74), usually 0.9–4(–5) m. tall (but 6–9 m. in Seychelles); bark pale, smooth or rough.. Leaves drying discolorous, often bright brown beneath, sometimes somewhat shiny, unifoliolate or trifoliolate with lateral leaflets very much reduced; petiole 0.5–1.5 cm. long; terminal leaflet elliptic or oblong to obovate or obovate-oblanceolate, 3.7–17(–20) cm. long, 1.5–9.6 cm. wide, ± obtuse to acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, almost entire to repand-dentate, the nerves ending in hydathodes, or ± coarsely undulate-lobed, rarely distinctly serrate, glabrous save for hairy domatia beneath on some leaves; lateral nerves in 5–7 pairs, often much paler both above and beneath, yellowish, together with the closely reticulate venation, prominent on both surfaces when dry.. Inflorescences unbranched, 2–12.5 cm. long, including peduncle 1–4 cm. long (see note); cymules closely placed, 2–7-flowered, the stalks 0–1.2 mm. long; axes glabrous or puberulous; pedicels ± 1 mm. long.. Flowers greenish, white or cream; sepals green, the outer ± round, 1.2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; inner ± oblate, 1–1.5 mm. long, 1.2–2 mm. wide, finely adpressed-pubescent or glabrous; petals spathulate, 1.5 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, mostly densely white hairy or ciliate to ± glabrous; disk glabrous.. Filaments, ovary and style densely hairy.. Fruits bright red, globose or ± obovoid, 7–9 mm. long, 6–7 mm. wide, finely pubescent.
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