Erect, scrambling or trailing woody herb 0.6–1 m. tall; stems stout, cylindrical, striate when dry, woody, densely rusty pubescent; roots clustered, swollen, 30–60 cm. long; tendrils absent.. Leaves mature at flowering time, ovate to suborbicular, ± rounded angled in outline, (5.5–)9–28 cm. long, 8–25 cm. wide, rounded at the apex, broadly emarginate to truncate at the base, initially ferruginous floccose-woolly all over but becoming green and sparsely pubescent to glabrous above as it rubs off, but persistently velvety beneath; petioles 3–20 cm. long; stipules oblong-lanceolate, 6 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, ferruginous pubescent.. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, 1.5–9.5 cm. long, the ultimate 4–5 umbel-like cymules 10–25-flowered; peduncles 1.3–4 cm. long; pedicels 3–7 mm. long; axes densely reddish hairy.. Buds ovoid, glabrous.. Calyx 0.5 mm. long, densely reddish hairy.. Petals red, oblong-ovate, 1.8 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide.. Fruits red, globose to ellipsoid, 1–1.4 cm. long, 0.8–1.2 cm. wide, glabrous.. Seeds brown, rounded cushion-shaped, 9 mm. long, 8 mm. wide, 4–5 mm. thick, the basal projection very short, biconvex if 1 per fruit but with one face flat if 2 per fruit, with circummarginal ridge but otherwise smooth.
Home