Shrubs or small trees, sometimes scandent. Twigs nearly terete, base with subulate scales, with or without 2-4 mm stipular spines; new twigs glabrous or sparsely shortly pubescent. Petiole 1-2.2 cm; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, or sometimes ovate-lanceolate, (10-)15-20(-30) × (4-)6-10 cm, membranous when young but leathery when mature, often yellowish green when dry, glabrous, shiny, midvein adaxially slightly raised but central part often grooved, secondary veins (5-)7-10 on each side of midvein, reticulate veins obvious on both surfaces, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, rounded, or sometimes slightly cordate, apex obtuse, rounded, sometimes acute to shortly acuminate, or rarely emarginate. Inflorescences superaxillary rows, 2-7-flowered, above apical axils, with clusters of 1-4 subulate spines 1-1.5 mm between lowest pedicel and petiole. Pedicel ca. 6 mm for basal flowers, ca. 2 cm for apical flowers, pubescent. Sepals ovate to oblong, 6-10 × 3-4 mm, ± equal, glabrous but margin often tomentose, apex acute to obtuse. Petals white, oblong to oblanceolate, 1-2.1 × 0.3-0.7 cm, glabrous, narrowly cuneate, apex almost rounded. Stamens 20-40; filaments (1.5-)1.8-2.5 cm; anthers 1-1.5 mm. Gynophore 2-3.5 cm, glabrous; ovary ovoid to ellipsoid, 2.5-3 mm, with 4 lengthwise grooves; placentae 4; ovules many. Fruit tan, spheroid to ellipsoid, 3-7 × 3-4 cm, surface with 4 slightly obvious to not obvious vertical grooves; pericarp orangish red, ca. 3 mm thick; fruiting gynophore 4-6 mm in diam., woody. Seeds numerous per fruit, dark red, 6-8 × 4-5 × 3-4 mm. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jul-Aug.
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A vine or half erect shrub with drooping branches. It grows 4-5 m tall. It is thorny. The leaves are alternate, leathery and shiny. Both the tips and base of the leaves are usually rounded. Flowers occur on the stem above the leaf axils. They are on trailing branches. The flower petals are white with lower ones yellow or reddish. There are 20 long stamens. The fruit are oval and 3 or 4 cm long. They are smooth and bright red when ripe. The fruit is on a long stalk.
Forests amongst shrubs at elevations from 1,200-2,000 metres, occasionally descending to 400 metres. Brushwood, hedges and open forest, also along the seashore and in sandy locations, mostly below 500 metres.
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A tropical plant. They occur in areas of shrubs and secondary forest at low and medium altitudes from northern Luzon to southern Mindanao in the Philippines.
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