Climbing, glabrous shrub, few m high. Twigs stout, (reddish-)brown when dry; internodes 2-7 cm. Thorns often wanting, if present recurved, up to 5 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, often reddish brown when dry, broadest in the middle, (1.5-)2-3(-3½) times as long as wide, (8-)14.5-20(-26) by (3½-)5-9(-14) cm; margin slightly recurved; base more or less acute to rounded, sometimes subcordate, top rounded (or emarginate) and mostly with a hardened tip or shortly and bluntly acuminate; midrib above flat to sulcate; nerves c. 6-7 pairs, subprominent above; petiole 1-2(-2.5) cm, stout, dark-coloured, rough. Inflorescence a more or less leafy, terminal panicle of subumbels. Pedicels 2-4.5 cm. Bracts early caducous. Buds globular, 8-12 mm diam. Flowers white, pink or red-brown. Outer sepals coriaceous, subpersistent, 10-13 by 8 mm, rough; inner sepals subcoriaceous, 12-14 by 6-10 mm, thinner towards the margin. Petals oblong to obovate-subspathulate, 22-35 by 6-11 mm. Torus 4-5 mm broad. Stamens c. 50-80, filaments light red, 3½-4½ cm, anthers 2-3 by 1 mm. Gynophore 3-4.5 cm, ovary ellipsoid, c. 4 by 2-3 mm, both glabrous. In fruit the pedicel (especially towards both ends), the torus, and the gynophore towards the top, considerably incrassate. Fruit globular to ellipsoid, 5-6.5 cm long, pericarp 2-5 mm thick, smooth, yellowish orange. Seeds ∞, c. 1 by 0.5 cm.
Mostly on dry, often calcareous soil, but also in moister habitats, in secondary forest, etc., from the lowland up to 700, in N. Borneo up to 1700 m. Fl. fr. Jan.-Dec.
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