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male flowers 4–18(50) in lax racemiform or paniculiform fascicles; peduncle 1·1–7 cm. long, simple or branched, ebracteate or sometimes bearing small leaf-like bracts; pedicels 0·9–3·5 cm. long. Receptacle-tube 5–7 mm. long, asymmetrical, blackish or brownish-green, lobes 4–7 mm. long, lanceolate, acutely-acuminate, unequal, the lower 3 larger than the upper 2. Petals 1·2–2·5 cm. long, cream or yellow, unequal, the lowermost largest, with an orange hippocrepiform mark towards the base.
Leaves compound, pedately 3–5(7)-foliolate; median leaflet 3·5–11 × 1·7–4·7 cm., ovate or elliptic, rounded or subtruncate at the base, almost plane and minutely denticulate, acuminate, acute to obtuse, apiculate, asperulous or minutely punctate and sparsely setulose on veins beneath, sparsely setulose above; lateral leaflets somewhat smaller, unequal-based; petiolule of median leaflets 0·6–1·8 cm. long.
A pumpkin family herb. The stems are slender. There are tendrils. The leaves have 5 leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand. They are oval and have teeth along the edge. The fruit are oval and have a beak. They are 5 cm long. They have triangle shaped processes on the surface. They are green.
Female flowers solitary; peduncle 0·4–1·6 cm. long; bract minute; pedicel 3–6·3 cm. long; ovary 12–17 × 2–4 mm., ovoid, rostrate, tuberculate; receptacle-tube very short, lobes 2–3·5 mm. long, lanceolate, acute; petals c. 2 cm. long, slightly unequal.
Fruit 1·5–6·5 × 1·6–3·8 cm., fusiform, rostrate, with 8 longitudinal rows of conical tubercules, bright orange or red, dehiscent into 3 valves; fruit-stalk 5–14·5 cm. long.
Seeds 12–14 × 7–8 × 2–3 mm., oblong in outline, compressed; faces flat, sculptured, sinuate at the edges; margin grooved.
Stems scandent or prostrate, to 3 m., glabrous or almost so except at nodes.
Petiole 1·2–5·2 cm. long, shortly pubescent.
Flowers dioecious.
Tendrils 2-fid.
