Liane to 5 m, the old stems sometimes leafless, grey-green or darker, 4-angled or finely ridged, with short pale ferruginous pubescence or glabrescent; lateral leafy shoots with ± condensed intemodes at the base. Leaves drying pale or dark, elliptic, 3-13.5 cm long, 1.5-7(-10) cm wide, acuminate at the apex, narrowly cuneate at the base into distinct petiole or very attenuate at base and true petiole short, thin, entire or slightly to coarsely serrate, the teeth not spreading, apiculate, ± glabrous to sparsely pubescent above and on venation beneath; petiole 0.2-2.5 cm long. Inflorescences leafy, few-many-flowered, terminal on main and lateral shoots, 8-20 cm long, the cymes axillary in sessile ovate acuminate or cordate leaf-like bracts 5 cm long, 3 cm wide; upper bracts lanceolate 5-10 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; individual cymes 1-2-flowered; axes finely pubescent; peduncle up to 2.5 cm long; calyx pubescent; tube cupular, 4-6 mm long; lobes broadly rounded to ovate, up to 5 mm long and wide, densely gland-dotted within. Corolla violet, violet and white or greenish or, in Ugandan subsp., cream tinged green with posterior petal pale mauve; tube 6-10 mm long; lobes 0.8-1.6 cm long, 5-5.5 mm wide. Stamens exserted 1-3.5 cm. Fruit red, depressed globose, 8 mm tall, 1.1 cm wide, 3-4-seeded.
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