A scandent shrub up to about 4 m. in height.. Flowering shoots ± slender, green to reddish, thickly covered with stellulate-caespitose tomentum varying to glabrous.. Prickles small, decurved or ± so.. Leaves simple, trifoliolate or quinnate, varying from thinly pilose to glabrous above and from thickly grey-white-or greenish-white-tomentose to glabrous except for the midrib and primary veins beneath; leaflets obovate, broadly obovate-elliptic or ovate-elliptic, sometimes nearly round, obtuse to ± rounded or sometimes abruptly caudate-acuminate, basally rounded to subcordate, sharply but ± shallowly (1–2.5 mm. deep) serrate or biserrate, the terminal leaflet often larger than the others, 9–15 × 5.6–10 cm.; venation of non-tomentose forms often prominent and reticulate beneath; petiolules prickly, glandular or not, those of the terminal leaflets 3–5.6 cm. long, and of the laterals not exceeding 1 cm. long.. Inflorescence usually a rather large panicle, pyramidal or ± so, leafless except sometimes at the base, up to about 30 × 17 cm., the axis and branchlets usually grey-green-tomentose, the branchlets spreading at a wide angle or horizontally, aculeolate, with or without stipitate or subsessile glands; pedicels tomentose and glandular as the branchlets.. Calyx 6–9 mm. long, deeply divided into lanceolate oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate acute sometimes mucronate tomentose lobes basally fused for 1.5–2 mm., strongly reflexed after anthesis.. Petals pink, obovate-oblanceolate, exceeding the calyx, 7–10 × 5–8 mm., apically rounded in outline but often notched.. Carpels glabrous or with an apical tuft of a few hairs.. Fruit orange to dark red.
Moist bamboo thicket; edges and clearings in upland rain-forest; secondary bushland and scrub; forest with Podocarpus latifolius, Olea capensis and Syzygium guineense; ravines with Podocarpus latifolius; etc.
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