Habit: rapidly scandent climber, new shoots silky hairy, glabrescent. Leaves: intermediate stages irregularly lobed and dentate, rapidly entire. Adult leaves narrow obovate, slightly falcate, 35–60 mm long, 5–10 mm wide, glabrescent; petioles to 2 mm long. Inflorescences mainly solitary, bisexual, protandrous flowers; stalks longer than flowers, about 10–20 mm long, slender, nodding, hairy. Sepals variable, unequal, 3–6 mm long, often on one flower; ovate, margins ciliate. Petals 13–18 mm long, basally connivent, clawed, throat nearly as long as slender blade; blade yellow, throat and margins tinged pink-red, darkening with age/sex phase change. Stamens free, filaments longer than anthers, white, tapering; anthers sagittate with a distinct apical mucro; pollen yellow. Pistil with vestigial basal nectary; glabrous; ovary cylindrical; stigma knobby. Fruit berry-like, to 20 mm long, oblong. Seeds in separate, dry cells in two rows in each chamber.Flowering spring.