Perennial semi-prostrate herb up to 40 cm., subscandent or not.. Stems slender, pilose, up to 60 cm. long, arising from a woody stock.. Petiole 1–3.5 cm. long.. Stipules triangular-lanceolate, 2–3 mm. long, pubescent.. Leaf-blade 3-partite or trifoliolate, rarely the lateral leaflets with a basal lobe or leaves 5-partite; petiolules 0 or 1 mm.; basal glands minute, somewhat flask-shaped, 0.5 mm. long; leaflets linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, the median ones up to 4.6 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, the lateral ones up to 3.8 cm. long and 1.1 cm. wide, acute or subacute, rarely obtuse, the median ones symmetrically attenuate or cuneate at the base, the lateral ones asymmetrically cuneate or rounded at the base, ± entire, rarely toothed, subglabrous or pubescent along the midrib and margins above, evenly or sparsely pubescent below, midrib and nerves prominent beneath.. Inflorescences axillary, or terminal on lateral shoots; main peduncles up to 11 cm. long, pubescent; stipules of the bracts resembling the foliar stipules; involucral bracts lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, entire or 3-fid, the adaxial one smaller than the abaxial, up to 2.3 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, with the lateral lobes (when present) up to 7 mm. long, acute, margin glandular-denticulate and crisped puberulous, cuneate at base, sparsely pubescent without, subglabrous within, 5-nerved from the base, the nerves becoming prominent in the fruiting state, yellow-green in flower, pale green in fruit.. Male peduncles 3–4 mm. long (rarely up to 1.5 cm.), puberulous; involucre 3–5 mm. across, glabrous or almost so, 12-flowered.. Mass of fused bracts central, convoluted, white.. Male flowers: pedicels 3 mm. long; sepals elliptic-ovate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, minutely puberulous outside, greenish yellow; stamens 9, anthers ochre-yellow.. Bracts subtending the ♀ flower 4, the median ones oblong, 2 mm. long, ciliate, the lateral ones triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, ciliate.. Female flower: pedicel 0.5 mm. long, extending to 2 mm. in fruit; sepals 6, linear-lanceolate, 2 mm. long, extending to 7–9 mm. in fruit, with 1–2(–5) linear lateral lobes on each side, puberulous above and beneath, with the lobes somewhat hirsute on the margin; disc 0; ovary puberulous, 1 mm. long; style 5.5 mm. long, abruptly dilated and excavated at the apex, pale green.. Fruits 3-lobed, 4 mm. long, 7.5 mm. wide, puberulous.. Seeds spherical, 2.5 mm. diameter, greyish, streaked with dark brown.. Fig. 56/11, p. 288.
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