Undershrub or a twiner up to 5 m high. Branches terete, c. 3 mm ø, sulcate, glabrous. Leaves charta-ceous, variable in shape and size even on one specimen, ovate or ovate-oblong, sometimes deltoid, reni-form, or suborbicular, 4-15 by 2.5-12 cm; apex usually acuminate, rarely acute or obtuse; base cordate or shallowly cordate, sometimes sagittate, auricles separate from each other, rounded at the end, sinus 1-3 cm deep, glabrous above, minutely puberulous beneath; midrib and basal nerves palmately 5-nerved, the midrib with 1-3 pairs of lateral nerves; basal nerves 2 pairs, the inner pair ascending to ⅔, sometimes almost to the apex of the blade, the outer pair much shorter, spreading toward the margin at the basal part of the blade, each of them with a few side branchlets; nerves slightly elevated beneath, distinct or sometimes rather faint; veins closely reticulate, some transverse, distinct or sometimes rather faint beneath; petiole 2-5 (-7) cm, glabrous. Inflorescences in the axils of foliage leaves, the very short rachis (up to c. 16 mm long) with condensed inter-nodes and bracts, glabrous; bracts ovate or triangular, c. 1 mm long, glabrous. Pedicel and ovary c. 18 mm, glabrous. Perianth green and dark purple, veins longitudinal and reticulate, glabrous outside; utricle subglobose, c. 7 mm ø, with a distinct stipe of 3-5 mm, sparsely hairy inside, with 2 glandular, orbicular bodies (c. 1 mm ø); tube straight or sometimes bent at anthesis almost at a right angle with the utricle and ovary, c. 13 by 2.5 mm, sparsely hairy inside; limb 1-lipped, obovate-oblong, 23-30 by 10 mm, longitudinally reflexed at anthesis, apex retuse, upper surface glabrous except the slightly hairy margin. Stamens 6; anthers oblong, c. 1 mm long. Style column c. 4 mm long, 6-lobed; lobes lanceolate, c. 1.5 mm long, with a distinct annular ring at the base. Capsules short-cylindric, 2-3 by 1.5-2 cm, slightly 6-ridged, glabrous. Seeds triangular, winged, 4-5 by 4 mm (incl. the c. 0.6 mm wide wing), densely verrucose on both surfaces, upper surfaces sometimes covered with a membranous funicle appendage.
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Herbs twining. Stems 6-angled, glabrous. Petiole 1.5-3.5 cm, glabrous; leaf blade triangular-ovate to rhombic-cordate, 5-7 × 5-7.5 cm, abaxially densely puberulous, adaxially glabrous, veins palmate, 2-3 pairs from base, base shallowly cordate, apex acute. Racemes in axils of leafy shoots, 3-or 4-flowered, 1-4 cm. Pedicel ascending, ca. 1 cm, glabrous; bractlets ovate, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm. Calyx brownish purple, 3-5 cm; tube rectilinear or slightly curved; utricle globose, ca. 5 mm in diam., with stipe 2-3 mm; tube 8-10 × 3-5 mm; limb ligulate, oblong, 1.5-2.5 × 0.3-0.5 cm, apex obtuse. Anthers ovoid, ca. 1 mm. Gynostemium 6-lobed. Capsule cylindric, 5-6 × ca. 2 cm, dehiscing acropetally. Seeds ovoid-deltoid, ca. 7 × 6 mm, winged. Fl. Jul, fr. Aug.
In forest or along forest edges, sometimes in rocky situations and on limestone hills, up to c. 300 m. Fl. April, Aug., Oct., Nov., fr. Feb.-June.
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