Monoecious or rarely dioecious open spreading or straggling glabrous bush or woody liane or small tree up to 9 m. in height, but not commonly exceeding 5 m., with stiff, slender, straight or occasionally pendent, branches.. Bark rough, dark greyish brown, papery, peeling.. Twigs dark brown or reddish brown.. Orthotropic shoots angular. Plagiotropic shoots leafy, floriferous or both, up to 15 cm. long, but commonly not exceeding ± 12 cm. long. Brachyblasts present, which may give rise to one or more secondary plagiotropic shoots, or which may develop into secondary orthotropic shoots.. Cataphylls triangular-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm. long, dark brown, their bases becoming indurated and spinescent. Cataphyllary stipules triangular-ovate, otherwise resembling the cataphylls.. Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots distichous; petioles 1 mm. long; blades oblong, oblong-lanceolate, oblong-obovate or oblong-elliptic, 0.7–2.3(–2.8) cm. long, 0.4–1(–1.3) cm. wide, obtuse, rounded or trun-cate, sometimes mucronulate, cuneate or rounded, membranaceous to thinly chartaceous; lateral nerves 7–9 pairs, not or scarcely prominent above or beneath, pale green above, grey-green beneath.. Stipules linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, ± 1 mm. long, brown, ciliate or fimbriate.. Flowers in axillary clusters on the plagiotropic shoots, usually with 1 ♀ and (1–)2–4(–5) ♂ per cluster, sometimes ♀ solitary or clusters all ♂; bracts triangular, chestnut-brown, fimbriate.. Male flowers: pedicels 2–3 mm. long, capillary; sepals 4(–5), the 2 outer elliptic, 1 mm. long, subacute, the 2(–3) inner suborbicular, strongly convex without, 1.3 mm. long, obtuse, yellow-green to creamy white, occasionally suffused reddish or purplish; disc glands 4, rarely 5, free, rounded, ± smooth, fleshy; stamens (2–)4(–5), the 2 outer usually free, rarely 0, short, the (1–)2(–3) inner with the filaments united into a column 1 mm. tall, anthers ovoid, 0.25 mm. long, ± vertically held, longitudinally dehiscent.. Female flowers: pedicels 2–2.5 mm. long, slender, thickening slightly apically; sepals 4, elliptic-obovate to broadly ovate-elliptic, 1.3–1.5 mm. long, obtuse or rounded, often pink or coral-red; disc shallowly cupular, 4–5-lobed, somewhat thickened and fleshy; ovary sessile, ovoid to rhomboid-ellipsoid, 0.75 mm. diameter, smooth at first, later becoming slightly rugulose; styles 3(–4), connate at the base, 1 mm. long, erect, ± straight or recurved at the tips, slender, undivided or shortly bifid, stigmas minutely papillose.. Fruit pendulous, subglobose, 2–3.5 mm. long, 3–4 mm. diameter, smooth, somewhat fleshy, bright green later turning blue, purple or black.. Seeds trigonous, 1.7–1.8 mm. long, faintly and minutely foveolate-reticulate, shiny, bright reddish brown.. Fig. 4.
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Male flowers: pedicels 2–3 mm, capillary; sepals (4)5, the 2 outer 1 × 1 mm, the 3 inner 1.3 × 1.3 mm, obovate-suborbicular, yellowish-green, cream-coloured or occasionally pinkish-, crimson-or purplish-tinged; disk glands (4)5, free, circular, ± smooth, fleshy; stamens (2)4(5), the 2 outer free, the rest united, or all united into a column 1 mm high, anthers 0.3 mm long, vertically held, longitudinally dehiscent.
Leaf blades 0.7–2.3 × 0.4–1.5 cm, obovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, usually ± parallel sided, obtuse, rounded or truncate, occasionally mucronulate, cuneate or rounded at the base, firmly membranaceous, bright yellow-green above, glaucous beneath; lateral nerves in 6–7(9) pairs, not or scarcely prominent above or beneath, often forming somewhat irregular loops.
Female flowers: pedicels 1.5–2.5 mm long, slender; sepals ± as in the male; disk 0.67 mm in diameter, annular, crenellate, thick, fleshy; ovary 0.5 mm in diameter, sessile, rhomboid-ovoid, ± smooth; styles 3(4), 1 mm long, connate at the base, ± erect, slender, usually simple, slightly thickened and somewhat recurved at the apex.
A much-branched often dense scrambling or spreading weak-stemmed bush 2–5(10) m high; plants monoecious or dioecious, armed, glabrous; branches long slender horizontal, arching or pendent, blackish.
Scale leaves 1.5–2 mm long, triangular-lanceolate, ciliate, dark brown, their bases becoming hard and spiny; their stipules triangular-ovate, otherwise resembling them.
Fruit 3–4 × 4–5 mm, subglobose, smooth, fleshy, brownish at first later becoming dark reddish-purple, and black when dried.
Seeds 1.5 × 1 × 1 mm, triquetrous, ± smooth, shiny, bright reddish-brown, with a round aperture by the hilum.
Flowers in clusters which are all male, or else a few male plus 1 female, or female flowers solitary.
Stipules 1.3 mm long, oblong-linear to linear-lanceolate, chestnut-brown, ciliate-fimbriate.
Lateral shoots leafy, floriferous or both, not usually more than 10 cm long.
Short shoots giving rise to one or more secondary laterals or lead shoots.
Foliage leaves distichous.
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