Scandent shrub or small tree to 5 m high; branchlets puberulous, with cataphylls below or between leaves. Leaves membranous or chartaceous, glabrescent except midvein, broadly obovate to narrowly oblong-ovate, rounded or emarginate, rarely acute; lamina mostly 1.5–3 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, crenate towards apex, rarely entire, the base cuneate or rounded; secondary veins 5–7 pairs; petiole pubescent, 0.5–2 mm long; stipules minute. Flowers 1 or 2, terminating leafy or bracteate shoots; peduncle puberulous, to 5 mm long in males, 7 mm in females. Sepals 4, rarely 5, puberulous, orbicular or broadly ovate, 1.5 mm long, ciliate. Male flowers: disc glands 20–25, glabrous, truncate; stamens c. 30, glabrous, 1–2 mm long. Female flowers: disc annular, fleshy, with 3 or 4 laterally elongated glands; ovary ovoid, glabrous, 3–6-locular; styles 3–6, divaricate; stigmas truncate or bilobed. Fruit globose, c. 12 mm diam., 5-ribbed when dry; styles persistent.
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A climbing shrub. It grows 3-5 m high and spreads 1-3 m wide. It is prickly. The branches are supported by hooks. Plants loose their leaves during the dry season. The leaves are 1.5-3 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. They are oval and thin textured. The tip can be blunt or notched. The flowers are of one sex. They are about 4 mm across. Male flowers have about 30 stamens and female flowers are fleshy. The fruit is fleshy with a hard stone inside. It is 1.2 cm across. It is rounded and ribbed.
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