Twigs terete or elliptic in section, glabrous.. Leaves opposite, subopposite or sometimes (in Zaire basin) ternate; petiole 5–15 mm. long; lamina fleshy, reddish when young, turning light to dark green, elliptic, elliptic-oblong or elliptic-ovate, 4–10 cm. long, 1.5–7 cm. wide, blunt or rounded at the apex, broadly cuneate to shortly cordate at the base; second and third main lateral nerves curved-ascending to upper half, the distal ones more spreading.. Umbels 3–6, mostly at older leafless nodes; peduncle 3–20 mm. long, glabrous or sometimes scurfy; pedicels 4–9(–15), 2.5–5 mm. long; bract-cup 0.5 mm. long, limb triangular or bifid, 0.5–1.2 mm. long.. Receptacle 1–1.5 mm. long.. Calyx 0.5–0.7 mm. long.. Corolla red or pink, the apical swelling darkening in ripe buds, 2.5–3.5 cm. long; apical swelling of mature buds subhemispherical, slightly pointed, pentagonal, slightly reduplicate proximally, 2.5–3.5 mm. across, 2–2.5 mm. tall; basal swelling usually subglobose, 2–4 mm. long, 2–3 mm. in diameter, rarely ellipsoid.. Inner anthers 1.5–2 mm. long; outer ones 1–1.5 mm.. Style-constriction 1.5–2 mm. long; stigma peltate to depressed-turbinate, 1.5–2 mm. across.. Berry orange or red, 5–6 mm. long, 5 mm. in diameter; seed orange or red, 3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. in diameter.. Fig. 12/1–8 (p. 81).
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A bushy plant or it can be a creeper 4 m long. It grows by drawing its food from other plants. It can grow on a range of plants.
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