Woody vines, usually shrubby, 1-8 m tall. Stems darkish black, yellowish green when young, 3-ribbed, twisted, ± smooth, sometimes reddish brown punctate. Petiole flat, 5-10 mm; leaf blade obovate to broadly elliptic, 3-7 × (1.4-)2-4.5 cm, thick, ± leathery, basal veins 3-5, prominent when dry, base narrowed and decurrent to form petiole, less often rounded, apex obtuse. Male inflorescences umbellate or cymose, 5-or 6-flowered; peduncle to 20 mm; bracteoles 7 or 8, ovate-triangular. Female inflorescences usually of solitary flowers; peduncle 3-4 mm. Flowers usually unisexual (plants usually dioecious). Male flowers globose, ca. 2 mm; pedicel ca. 1.5 mm; bracteoles triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm; perianth lobes triangular, ca. 1.5 mm; stamen filaments ca. 0.5 mm, with a tuft of hair behind each, cells rounded. Disk 5-lobed to annular. Female flowers: bracteoles 3-5; perianth short terete, 2-3 mm, lobes 5, ovate-triangular, ca. 1 × 1 mm; staminodes present. Style short, stigma not lobed, needle-like. Bisexual flowers ovoid. Drupe reddish, brownish yellow to reddish brown when mature, ovoid, 10-13 mm, inconspicuously 5-ribbed; persistent perianth lobes incurved. Fl. Jan-Mar, fr. Jun-Aug.
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Monoecious climber, glabrous; bark corky. Branchlets terete. Leaves elliptic-obovate, obtuse, discolorous; lamina 1.5-9 cm long with 3-5 veins, the outer ones not reaching apex; petiole to 1 cm long. Flowers greenish white. Male flowers in racemes to 1 cm long; bracts ovate, concave, less than 1 mm long, caducous; pedicels 1-2 mm long; receptacle 0.5 mm long; tepals triangular, 1 mm long, with hair tufts behind anthers; stamens c. 0.5 mm long. Female flowers solitary or clustered; bracts several on peduncle and 3 at base of pedicel, ovate, to 1 mm long, persistent; receptacle 1.5 mm long; tepals 0.5 mm long; stigmas globular, sessile. Drupe ovoid, c. 10 mm long; epicarp black; endocarp rugose.
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