Climbing shrub, 2-10 m. Twigs straight, angular and pubescent, terete and glabrescent when older; internodes 1-3 cm. Thorns strong, recurved, 2-4 mm. Leaves (sub)coriaceous, pubescent when young, soon glabrescent, ovate to obovate, 2-5 times as long as broad, 6½-12(-21) by 1.5-5(-7.5) cm; base narrowed, acute; top rounded to narrowed, more or less acuminate, dark-mucro-nate; midrib flat above; nerves c. 5-6 pairs; petiole c. 1 cm, brown pubescent, late glabrescent. Raceme terminal, 2½-10 cm long, brown pubescent all over. Bracts 10 by 1.5-2 mm, sometimes larger and resembling small leaves. Pedicels 5-10 mm, leaving a prominent scar, in fruit woody. Sepals densely pubescent outside, with membranous, ciliate margin 1 mm broad, outer pair coriaceous, orbicular, 8-11 mm diam., inner pair subcoriaceous, ovate, 2-6 by 4.5 mm, densely pubescent outside. Petals pink, c. 8-9 by 4.5-6 mm, obovate, notched, with cuneate base, sparsely pubescent inside, or glabrous. Stamens 35-50, c. 15 mm. Gynophore c. 5-6.5 cm (occasionally abortive), in fruit transversely wrinkled, woody, thickened up to 16 mm; ovary ovoid, 1.75 by 0.75 mm. Fruit globular, c. 10(-12.5) cm diam., pericarp woody, 2-2.5 cm thick, smooth, yellow. Seeds ∞, c. 2⅓ by 1.75-2.5 by c. 1 cm.
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