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Prostrate or scandent probably annual herb, monoecious (male and female flowers on the same plant). Tendrils solitary at each node. Flowers large. Corolla lobes 13-35 mm long. Fruit 40 x 25 mm, ellipsoid, green becoming yellow when ripe, spiny, spines 9-12 mm long. Flowers white or yellow, green-veined.
Female flowers solitary; pedicel 60–80 mm. long, stout; ovary 8–12 × 4–6 mm., oblong-ellipsoid, softly spiny; receptacle-tube 3–5·5 mm. long, lobes 4–7 mm. long, linear or oblanceolate, entire or shortly lobed; petals 16–37 mm. long.
male flowers solitary or 2–3 in small fascicles; pedicels 17–65 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 5–7 mm. long; lobes 3·5–7 mm. Petals 13–26 mm. long, white or yellow, green-veined.
Fruit 4 × 2·5 cm., ellipsoid, green becoming yellow when ripe, spiny; spines 9–12 mm. long.
Probably annual; stems prostrate or scandent, patent-setulose, later scabrid.
Seeds c. 6·5 × 3 × 1·6 mm.
Flowers monoecious.
