A somewhat succulent shrub up to 2.5 m. tall.. Bark smooth, light brown.. Young shoots densely pubescent, emitting a thick, sticky golden exudate when cut.. Leaves long-petiolate; leaf-blade palmatipartite, 5-lobed, the lobes oblanceolate, the median lobe (3–)5–7 cm. long, 1.5–2.7 cm. wide, the laterals progressively smaller, glandular-dentate, shallowly cordate or ± truncate, with 5–7 pairs of lateral nerves per lobe, evenly pubescent above and beneath; petiole 3–12(–18) cm. long, densely to evenly pubescent.. Stipules in the seedling twice bipartite, 4–5 cm. long, the segments filiform, stiff, sparingly pubescent, blackish; in the young plant more massive, tripartite, 2–3 cm. long, the segments subulate, spiny, at first gland-tipped, sparingly pubescent, brownish; on older branches usually bipartite with an enlarged base, 0.5–2 cm. long, the segments subulate or narrowly conical, spiny, pubescent, blackish; rarely simple.. Inflorescences 10–20 cm. long, with a clear scape up to 10 cm. long; axis tomentose; bracts linear-lanceolate, up to 7 mm. long, acute, with a few stalked glands along the margin, pubescent.. Male flowers: calyx-lobes linear-lanceolate, 2.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide at the base, acutely acuminate, glandular-denticulate, pubescent without, glabrous within, green, tinged reddish; petals obovate, connate at the base, 4 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, obtuse, glabrous without, pilose within at the base, pale yellow; disc-glands free, turbinate, truncate; stamens 8, dimorphic, the filaments fused for two-thirds-three-quarters of their length, the 5 outer 2 mm. long with ovoid-cylindrical anthers, the 3 inner 2.5 mm. long with triangular anthers, the anthers yellow, 0.7 mm. long.. Female flowers: calyx-lobes as in ♂ but up to 4 mm. long; petals 0 or sometimes present and only seen in bud; disc 5-lobed, the lobes flattened, rounded; ovary subglobose, 2 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, glabrous; styles united only at the base, 1.5 mm. long, stigmas capitate, shortly bifid.. Fruit trilobed, 1.1–1.2 cm. long, 1.1 cm. diameter, smooth, green, dehiscing septicidally.. Seeds ovoid-ellipsoid to subcylindric, 8–9 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, pale grey, greyish brown or brownish, dull or slightly shiny, with a fimbriate caruncle 4 mm. wide.
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