Liana, the branchlets slender, subterete or distally faintly quadrangular, cinere-ous or brownish. Leaves with the blade elliptic-oblong, rounded or subcordate at the base, abruptly acuminate or cuspidate at the apex, entire and minutely recurved at the margins, 8-26 cm. long and 3.5-11 cm. broad, chartaceous or thin-coriaceous, lustrous above, the costa prominent on both surfaces. Inflorescences 1.5-5 cm. long, the peduncle, rachis and branchlets slender, straight, flattened or quadrangular. Flowers 1.5-2 mm. in diam., the pedicel capillaceous, 1.2-1.8 mm. long; sepals oblong-ovate, subacute, obscurely erosulous at the margins, 0.3-0.5 mm. long and broad; petals suberect or spreading, oblong-obovate, rounded at the apex, 1 mm. long and 0.6 mm. broad; disc entire or faintly crenulate at the margin, about 1 mm. high, membranous; stamens suberect, 0.3-0.4 mm. long; ovary 0.3-0-4 mm. in diam., the ovules 4 per cell, the style about 0.2 mm. long. Mericarps obovate, rounded or faintly emarginate at the apex, 7.5-10 cm. long, 4-8 cm. broad and 1-2 cm. thick, dehiscing along an obscure median suture and often strongly involute at the sutures at maturity, the pericarp 1.5-2 mm. thick, rugose and conspicuously sparsely furfuraceous without, smooth or flabellate-costate within; seeds 4 or fewer (by abortion) per mericarp, the embryoniferous portion ellipsoid or oblong-cylindric, slightly falcate, 5-6 cm. long and about 1.5 cm. broad, the wing obdeltoid, about 2 cm. long and conspicuously narrowed toward the base.
More
This species differs from H. comosa and from H. unguiculata by the flowers that are not abortive as in the former and half the size of the latter; the petals are not-unguiculate. Mericarps 7.5-10 x 4-8 x 1-2 cm, obtuse at base, pericarp rugose, not costate, furfuraceous with greyish scales and with 1.5-2 mm thick pericarp, often involute after dehiscence (in dried collections).
A climber. It climbs to the top of trees.
Home
