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Climber to 6 m.; rootstock tuberous, subterranean, perennial.. Stems annual, herbaceous, glabrous except at the nodes, much-branched.. Leaves pedately biternately multi(usually 9–15)-foliolate; leaflets ovate-oblong, 5–30 mm. long, 4–20 mm. broad, rounded at the base, acute and apiculate, sinuate-dentate often with apiculate teeth; rhachides 6–57 mm. long; petiole 9–30 mm. long, glabrous except for hair-tufts at the base and at the insertion of the rhachides.. Tendrils simple or bifid.. Monoecious.. Male flowers solitary on 50–150 mm. long peduncles and subtended by a large broadly reniform-or suborbioular-cordate sessile 15–23 mm. long 22–38 mm. broad bract; receptacle-tube broadly obconic-campanulate, 4–5 mm. long; lobes broadly ovate or triangular, obtuse or rounded, 6–8 mm. long; petals yellow, 19–26 mm. long, 10–15 mm. broad, unequal, 2 with large incurved scales inside at the base; stamens 3, alternate with the scales.. Female flowers on 10–50 mm. long stalks with a small lanceolate subapical bract; ovary ellipsoid-cylindrical, 10–20 mm. long, 4–4.5 mm. across, obscurely tuberculate; receptacle-tube 1 mm. long; lobes ovate-triangular or triangular-lanceolate, 2–5.5 mm. long; petals as in ♂ flower but rather smaller and more pointed at the apex.. Fruit on a ± 60 mm. long stalk with an apical ± 10 mm. long and 7 mm. broad bract, 50–130 mm. long, 25–70 mm. across, scarlet, indehiscent, irregularly tubercled or merely irregularly bulging.. Seeds ovate-oblong in outline, 11–14 × 7–9 × 2.5–4 mm.; testa sculptured on faces with irregular warts or ridges.
Leaves compound, bipedately (9) 15–17 (21)-foliolate; leaflets commonly 15 in 3 groups of 5, or 17 with median group of 7 and two lateral groups of 5; median leaflet 0·5–6 × 0·4–4·2 cm., elliptic, ovate or broadly ovate, rounded or cuneate at the base, sinuate-denticulate or sinuate-lobulate or occasionally deeply 3-lobulate, acute to obtuse or rounded, apiculate, minutely punctate, finely setulose on veins above, otherwise glabrous; petiolules of median group of leaflets 0·9–4·5(5) cm. long; petiolules of median leaflet (or leaflets) of median group 0·3–3·5 cm. long.
A slender climber in the pumpkin family. It has a bad smell. The stems have ribs. The stems lie along the ground. They can be 10 m long. The leaves are compound. The leaflets are in groups of 5 or 17 and have 15-17 leaflets. The leaves are opposite and with a few pairs of opposite leaflets. These are also divided. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. Flowers are yellow. The fruit are oval and have a knobbed surface. The fruit are 7 cm long by 3 cm across. There are many flat seeds.
male flowers solitary, pedunculate, bracteate; peduncles 2·2–15 cm. long; bract 7–23 mm. long, suborbicular, cordate, cucullate; pedicel 6–12 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 3–6 mm. long, lobes 4–8 mm. long, ovate to broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, obtuse to acute. Petals 1·1–3·2 cm. long, pale yellow to orange, dark at the base, broadly obovate, rounded, apiculate.
Female flowers solitary; peduncle 0·9–6·5 cm. long; bract 2–11 mm. long; pedicel 2–20 mm. long; ovary 7–19 × 2–5 mm., ellipsoid-cylindrical; receptacle-tube 1 mm. long, lobes ovate-oblong to triangular-lanceolate, sometimes acuminate, obtuse to acute, 2–5·5 mm. long; petals 2–2·8 cm. long.
Prostrate or scandent herb. Tendrils simple or bifid. Leaves compound, with 9-21 leaflets. Male flowers solitary. Fruit ellipsoid, smooth, 50-130 x 25-70 mm. Flowers pale yellow to orange, dark at base.
Stems prostrate or scandent to 10 m., almost glabrous except at nodes, arising from tuberous subterranean rootstock; all parts foetid.
Seeds 11–14 × 7–9·5 × 2·5–5 mm., ovate-elliptic in outline, compressed, the faces with sinuate markings and edges, margins grooved.
Fruit 5–13 × 2·5–7 cm., ellipsoid, smooth, bright red, indehiscent; fruit-stalk 5·6–8·5 cm. long.
Petiole 0·7–3 cm. long, almost glabrous except at base and apex.
Tendrils simple or 2-fid.
Flowers monoecious.
