Climber, 30-50 m long, stem at base 15 cm thick. Shoots grooved, 3-4 mm diam., early glabrescent, at first with minute grey scurf; older twigs with raised leaf-scars. Tendrils 6-10 cm long, branches c. 2 cm long, adhesive pads 5-10 mm long. Leaves: petiole 2-4 cm by c. 2 mm; blade ovate(-elliptic), 8-16 by 3-13 cm, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, base rounded or shallowly broadly cordate or sometimes narrowed and ± obtuse, apex (obtuse or) acute-acuminate; 3(-5) palmately veined, venation ± fine, prominent on both surfaces. Lateral shoots and inflorescences, arising from a densely pale brown pubescent area. Male inflorescences in short leafy lateral shoots, many-flowered, 1 or 2 times branched, 5-15 cm long, peduncle (1-)2 cm long, sometimes with 1 or 2 additional smaller inflorescences from the same leaf axil; bracts c. 0.5 mm long; female inflorescences not or hardly branched, raceme-like, 5(-10)-flowered, 5-10 cm long. Male flowers: pedicel c. 2 mm long; perianth greenish creamy, 7-10 mm long; receptacle-tube c. 2 by c. 3 mm; calyx membranous, in bud ovoid-conical, c. 5 mm long; petals narrowly elliptic, 6-8 mm long, acute, papillose at apex; filaments 2-2.5 mm long, anthers ellipsoid-oblong, 3-4 mm long, thecae papillose hairy; 3 minute subulate appendages c. 1 mm long in the centre of the flower sometimes present. Female flowers: pedicel c. 20 cm long; perianth including ovary 15-20 mm long; ovary c. 3/4 inferior, half-globose-ellipsoid or ± conical, 5-10 mm wide; calyx c. 5 mm long; petals c. 9 mm long; styles not close together, short, stigmas elongated, 3-4 mm long, at apex deeply 2-lobed. Fruit green, ripening brown, opening with 3 incurving valves, 20-30 cm diam., with woody exocarp, c. 2 mm thick, smooth, glabrous, inside with a soft spongy layer, densely packed with winged seeds, line of perianth-scar 2-6 cm from the orifice; fruiting pedicel 2-4 cm long. Seeds pale brown, 25-30 by 20-23 mm, faces smooth, margin distinct, edge entire, wing butterfly-like, silvery-white, membranous, 10-12 cm wide.
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