A twining and climbing shrub up to 8 m.; rootstock tuberous; branches velutinous when young, becoming glabrescent.. Leaves opposite or subopposite; lamina ovate to broadly ovate, up to 11 cm. long and 7 cm. wide, apex acutely acuminate, base cordate to subcordate, densely villous when young, less so when mature; lateral nerves 4–8 pairs; petiole 3 mm. long, sometimes developing into a spine 2–5 cm. long bearing a rudimentary leaf.. Inflorescences (and infructescences) appearing before the leaves, 1–2 dense secund spikes up to 22 cm. long in the axils of the old leaves.. Flowers pink.. Lower receptacle 3 mm. long, stout and densely silvery to rufous sericeous pubescent; upper receptacle campanulate, 9–11 mm. long, ± 4 mm. in diameter, densely silky pubescent.. Sepals triangular-subulate, ± 2 mm. long.. Petals oblong-obovate, 5–6 mm. long, 1.2–1.5 mm. wide, pubescent externally.. Stamen-filaments 18–20 mm. long, bright green, biseriate; anthers 1.5–2 mm. long, brownish crimson.. Disk-margin not free, pilose.. Fruit (fig. 7/39, p. 51, and 8/4, p. 62) 5-winged, ovate to broadly obovate in outline, 2.3–2.8 cm. long, 2–2.2 cm. wide, pubescent; apical peg absent; stipe 4–5 mm. long.. Fig. 8, p. 62.
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