Shrubs to small trees, to 5 m tall, andromonoecious or hermaphroditic. Branches prickly. Leaves simple, (7-)9-11-lobed; petiole (18-)15-35 cm, with small scattered prickles; blade (18-)25-40 cm wide, papery to membranous; lobes elliptic to narrowly obovate, (7-)9-22 cm, adaxially glabrous or with sparse short setae, base truncate to cordate, margin serrulate, teeth narrowly triangular, apex acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, erect, with dense prickles to 6 mm and setose trichomes to 2.5 mm; primary axis 10-25 cm; secondary axes (5-)8-25 cm, with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and usually 1-3(or 4) umbels of male flowers; peduncles if male umbels 1-2 cm; umbels 0.8-1 cm in diam.; pedicels (8-)10-18 mm (shorter in male flowers), finely brown to ferruginous stellate, glabrescent. Ovary 2-carpellate. Fruit ellipsoid, 9-12 × 5-8 mm; styles persistent, 1.5-2.5 mm. Fl. Oct-Dec, fr. Jan-Feb.
Home