Perennial herb climbing to 4 m.; roots tuberous.. Stems herbaceous, green, glabrous or pubescent.. Leaf-blade broadly ovate, ovate-cordate or triangular-cordate in outline, acute and apiculate, sinuate-toothed, pubescent or scabrid-hairy especially above and on the nerves beneath, 55–165 mm. long, 55–150 mm. broad, unlobed or more often 3(–5)-lobed; lobes sub-triangular, broadest at the base, rarely narrowly long-elliptic; petiole pubescent, 10–55 mm. long.. Tendrils bifid.. Monoecious.. Probracts orbicular, glandular, sessile, 1.5–4.5 mm. in diameter.. Male flowers 5–24, umbelliform on a 6–45 mm. long peduncle with all parts pubescent, sometimes densely so; bract apical on the peduncle, minute, up to 2.5 × 1 mm.; pedicels 7–32 mm. long, persistent after fall of flower; receptacle-tube broadly campanulate-obconic, pubescent, 3–9 mm. long; lobes oblong, ovate-triangular or triangular, acute, obtuse or rounded at the apex, pubescent, sometimes densely soft-hairy, glabrous at the margins, bluntly to sharply keeled beneath, 3–8 mm. long, green or brownish-green; corolla pure white or tinged pale orange-cream, black at the centre, campanulate-urceolate; petals oblong-lingulate, recurved, apically rounded, 20–25 mm. long, 5–10 mm. broad, each with 2 rows of short papilla-like hairs, 2 with incurved scales inside at the base; stamens (fig. 2/4a, 4b, p. 18) 3; anthers connate; connectives narrow; thecae triplicate.. Female flowers shortly stalked; ovary ovoid-fusiform, ± 13 mm. long and 5 mm. across, pubescent; receptacle-tube shallow; lobes strap-shaped, ± 8 mm. long, reflexed after fall of corolla; petals lingulate, rounded and slightly apiculate, ± 23 mm. long and 8 mm. broad, pubescent.. Fruit (fig. 3/6, p. 25) shortly stalked, fleshy, velvety, indehiscent, smooth, bright scarlet, 50–63 mm. long, 35–43 mm. across, crowned with the enlarged 14–15 mm. long reflexed persistent strap-shaped receptacle-lobes.. Seeds (fig. 3/10, p. 25) embedded in pockets of sticky translucent pulp when fresh, dark brown, oblong, compressed, 15–18 × 8–9 × 4–6 mm.; testa sculptured; margins smooth, widely and shallowly grooved.. Fig. 2/1, p. 18.
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male flowers 5–24 in minutely bracteate umbelliform fascicles; peduncle 0·6–4·5 cm. long; bract up to 2·5 mm. long; pedicels 7–32 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 3–9 mm. long, lobes 3–8 mm. long, oblong, ovate-triangular or triangular, acute to rounded, more or less keeled, green or brownish-green. Petals 2·0–3·0 cm. long, white, black at the base, oblong, rounded, recurved.
Leaf-lamina 5·5–16·5 × 5·5–15 cm., ovate to broadly ovate in outline, cordate, sinuate-denticulate, finely pubescent on veins beneath, shortly hispid above, unlobed or usually palmately 3–5-lobed, central lobe largest, triangular to broadly ovate-triangular or rarely narrowly elliptic, shortly acutely-acuminate, apiculate, lateral lobes shorter.
A pumpkin family climbing herb. It grows 4 m long. It has tendrils. The leaves are broadly oval. They are 6-17 cm long by 5-15 cm wide. There can be 3-5 lobes. The fruit are bright red and 5-6 cm long by 4 cm wide. The seeds are in a sticky pulp.
Female flowers solitary, shortly pedicellate; ovary c. 13 × 3–5 mm., ellipsoid, shortly tomentose; receptacle-tube 1 mm. long, lobes c. 8–9 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, acute, recurved; petals 2·1–2·3 cm. long, oblong, rounded.
Fruit 5–6·7 × 3·5–4·6 cm., oblong-ellipsoid, smooth, more or less pubescent, bright red, indehiscent; fruit-stalk 3·5 cm. long.
Stems scandent to 4 m., glabrous or shortly pubescent, arising from tuberous rootstock.
Seeds 15–18 × 8–9 × 4–6 mm., oblong, compressed; faces sculptured, margins grooved.
Petiole 1–6·3 cm. long, shortly hispid or scabrid.
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