Tall climber, perennial; dioecious; young plant with slender stem creeping up, with distichous leaves appressed to the substrate. Probract absent. Tendrils somewhat off-axillary, 2-branched at apex; peltate adhesive discs present in juvenile plants, with or without elongated pads in adult plants. Leaves: blade simple, unlobed, glands absent, margin entire. Male inflorescences ± pendent, paniculate, in female inflorescences reduced, raceme-like; bracts minute, caducous. Male flowers: bud ovoid, acute; flower ± campanulate, fleshy; receptacle-tube cup-shaped; calyx at first fused, apically with narrow, minutely imbricately 5-lobed orifice, at anthesis tearing into 3 parts to about half-way; petals almost free, ± patent, narrow, acute, valvate, cream-coloured; stamens 3, inserted towards the rim of the receptacle-tube, filaments short, free, anthers basi-dorsifixed, either all 2-thecous or two 2-thecous and one 1-thecous, thecae oblong, opening lengthwise lateral-introrse, connective broad; disc obscure. Female flowers larger than male flowers; ovary not completely inferior, at apex ± convex, pseudo 3-locular; ovules numerous, pendent, inserted towards the apex on broad, fleshy placentas; styles 3, not close together, stigmas fleshy; calyx and corolla together caducous, the scar leaving a line on the ovary and fruit. Fruit solitary, pendent, capsular, unilocular, half-globose, 20-30 cm diam., with flattened 3-valved apex. Seeds numerous, compressed, smooth, ovate-elliptic, edge entire, with a butterfly-like wing extending laterally to both sides 10-12 cm wide.
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