Stem (0.3–) 0.5–1.5 (–3) mm thick, smooth to rugulose, pubescent, yellow-green or grey-green to reddish. Inflorescence an almost sessile or elevated spike or raceme, or loose or somewhat congested head, 2–15-flowered, rarely more, usually single or paired, sometimes fasciculate or paniculate; peduncle 3–30 (–100) mm long, pubescent, hairs yellow or white and ± tinted red. Floral bracts whorled or inserted at different levels, ovate, 0.7–1.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, acute, ± peltate, ciliate, pubescent often on both sides, with hairs grey, yellow or red, persistent in fruit. Flowers sessile or on pedicel to 1 mm long, ovate to obovate, 1–2.9 × 1–2 mm. Sepals triangular to triangular-ovate, 0.7–1 × 0.5–0.8 mm, acute, pubescent, honey-yellow to brown, black in fruit, often sunken in glandular rim. Petals obovate to ovate, 1–2 × 0.9–1.5 mm, pubescent. Fertile stamens 9, white, turning brown; outer stamens dorsiventrally flattened, sometimes pubescent dorsally. Staminodes pyramidal, cordate or ovoid, 0.3–0.7 × 0.2–0.3 mm, with or without a ± conspicuous white apical gland. Glands ovoid, 0.3–0.6 × 0.2–0.3 mm, often crested with a white gland. Ovary fusiform, 0.7–1.6 × 0.3–0.5 mm, variously pubescent. Receptacular tube pubescent inside. Fruit globose to obovoid, 6–10 × 5.5–9 mm, grey, green-grey to green-red, glabrescent to heavily pubescent, indumentum white mixed with red, often broadly banded dull green and dull red-brown with 6 ± raised longitudinal ribs; sometimes topped by a flat glandular rim.
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Stems to c. 2 mm diam., forming dense masses, greenish, densely hairy, the hairs ferruginous when young. Scale lvs 1-1.5 mm long, ± ovate, with ferruginous tomentum. Spikes simple, 5-15 mm long; fls mostly crowded, but lower fls sometimes distant, subsessile or nearly so; rachis with ferruginous tomentum. Bracts c. 1 mm long, ovate. Outer perianth segments similar to bracts; inner segments c. 2 mm long, oblong. Stamens included; outer filaments of outer whorl broadly winged. Style < stamens, hairy. Fr. 5-6 mm diam., globular, remaining greenish, tomentose. Seed flattened, striate.
A climber. It grows attached to other plants and feeds from them. It appears to not have leaves. It forms dense mats over other plants. The stems are fine and yellow and hairy. They attach to plants by suckers. It climbs 2-3 m high and spreads 2-3.5 m wide. The young stems and flower heads are covered in downy hairs. There are 3-10 flowers in a dense cluster. They are 5 mm wide. They do not have stalks. The fruit are small and round. They are green and fleshy. They are 1 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm wide.
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