Dioecious vines; stems glabrate. Leaves 3-foliolate, the leaflets 10-18 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, the middle leaflet usually slightly larger than the lateral leaf-lets, elliptic, broadest near or above the middle, the lateral leaflets oblique, with a lateral lobe or sometimes divided to the base into two segments, the apex acuminate, the base cuneate or rarely rounded, the margins entire to undulate, submembranaceous to chartaceous, the upper surface minutely white pustulate, the lower surface glabrate, minutely white pustulate, or puberulent, especially on the nerves; petioles 2-7 cm long, robust, glabrous; tendrils simple, robust, glabrous. Staminate flowers axillary, subsessile in subcapitate clusters at the end of long pedunculate racemes; peduncle 15-30 cm long, glabrous; calyx cylindri-cal, 1-2 cm long, glabrate on the outer surface, puberulent within, the lobes tri-angular, 2-3 mm long, spreading; corolla reddish orange, the lobes ovate oblong to suborbicular, acute or rounded, 5-7 mm long, both the surfaces papillose pubescent; anthers oblong, 5-6 mm long, the appendix ca. 0.5 mm long, glabrous. Pistillate flowers axillary, 1-3; calyx and corolla as in the staminate flowers; ovary oblong fusiform, glabrous; peduncles 3-4 cm long. Fruits dark green with lighter green or whitish stripes, oblong, 5.5-7.0 cm long, 1.8-2.5 cm in diameter, the base cuneate, the apex rostrate, the flower often persisting; seeds irregularly ovate elliptic, tan, 7-9 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, smooth.
Home