Large woody climber, entirely glabrous. Young stems finely striate, bearing prominent discoid petiole-scars; old stems covered with rough, ridged bark. Leaves with petioles 5-9 cm, strongly thickened and geniculate in basal 1-1.5 cm, also shortly thickened at apex; lamina ovate, 12-19 by 7-12 cm, base rounded or slightly cordate, apex acuminate, palmately 3-5-nerved at base with 3-4 pairs of distal lateral nerves which run alongside midrib for several mm before departing from it, reticulation fine and prominent on both surfaces, thinly coriaceous. Male inflorescences borne on old, leafless stems, paniculate, up to c. 50 cm long with spreading lateral branches up to 15 cm. Male flowers on pedicels up to 5 mm: sepals yellowish, 6 minute outermost sepals less than 1 mm long, 6 main sepals broadly obovate to oblate, concave, 2-2.5 mm long; petals 6, broadly elliptic, 1.25 mm long; stamens 6, 2 mm long, fila-ments flattened, elliptic, much broader than the an-thers. Female inflorescences and flowers unknown. Infructescences c. 50-60 cm long, lateral branches up to 20 cm, fruit-peduncles 2-3 cm, carpophores subdiscoid, 1-2 mm long. Drupes reddish with glaucous bloom, ovoid to globose, 5-6 cm ø when fresh, 4-4.5 cm ø when dry; endocarp sub-globose, c. 4 cm ø, densely covered with branched spines c. 5 mm long partly joined in longitudinal rows, the hollow intrusive condyle with a ventral ex-ternal opening bordered with spines, the seed-cavity a hollow subhemisphere (i.e. cupular). Seed conforming to the seed-cavity, ventrally deeply concave, (according to BECCARI) the dorsal surface irregular, with copious uniform endosperm.
Lowland swamp-and rain-forest, and periodically flooded riverine forest, on sandy clay or clay, up to 1200 m. BECCARI stated that the fruits, like the large fruits of Macrococculus pomiferus BECC, are avidly eaten by cassowaries. Fl. March-April, Sept.; fr. July-Jan.
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