Annual or biennial, (sub)herbaceous, creeping or climbing, (0.5-)1-5 m long, variously scabrid-hairy, leafy stem 1-2 mm thick; glabrescent. Leaves: petiole (compared to resembling species short) 1-5 cm long, with soft or coarse 0.5-1(-2) mm long hairs; blade unlobed or shallowly or deeply (hastately) 3-or 5-lobed, variable in shape, (long) triangular, ovate, or cordiform, 4-16 by 3-10 cm, upper surface rough-hairy and/or scabrous by (coarse) cystoliths, lower surface coarsely hairy mostly only on the veins, base truncate, rounded, or (deeply) cordate, margin entire with minute teeth or dentate, apex acute-acuminate. Male inflorescences 1(-3), glabrescent, usually co-axillary with 1 (or 2) previously developed female flower(s); peduncle 1.5-6 cm long, 0.5 mm thick; raceme 0.3-1(-2) cm long, (3-)5-10(-25)-flowered; pedicels half-patent, persistent. Male flowers: pedicel 2-7 mm long; receptacle-tube 1.5-2 mm diam., sparsely coarsely hairy outside, throat hairy; sepals patent or ± out-curved, 1 mm long, with sparse hairs; petals (2-)3-4 by 2.5-3 mm, rounded or (sub)obtuse-acuminate, (papillose) hairy; filaments 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous, anthers ellipsoid, 1 mm long, thecae 1 mm long; disc c. 1 mm diameter. Female flowers: pedicel (5-)10-30 mm long; ovary ellipsoid, 3-5 mm long, with sparse hairs, glabrescent; receptacle-tube shallow; perianth as in male flower but petals larger, 4-5 mm long; style c. 2 mm long, glabrous; stigma consisting of 3 feather-like arms, shallowly forked at apex, each c. 2 mm long; staminodes linear, 1 mm long, inserted at the base of the receptacle-tube; disc less than 1 mm high. Fruit (remarkably variable in shape and texture, see note under var. marginata), either globose or ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm long with base and apex rounded, or fruits narrowly ellipsoid, tapering at base and apex, 1.5-2(-3) by c. 0.5 cm, glabrescent; exocarp membranous or ± leathery, leaving the seeds visible or not on drying; ripe fruits juicy or with yellowish pulp; fruiting pedicel short or long, (0.5-)1-5 cm long (short when fruit narrowly ellipsoid). Seeds 5-35 per fruit, whitish, (somewhat) compressed or faces ± convex, narrowly ovate in outline, 3-5(-6) by1.5-3.5 by c. 1.5 mm, faces (deeply) finely or coarsely scrobiculate, margined, edge distinctly square.
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Plants scandent, annual. Stem and branches glabrous, angular-sulcate. Petiole slender, 2-3.5 cm, white hirsute; leaf blade ovate-cordate or oblong-hastate, 6-10 × 4-10 cm, membranous, usually 3-lobed; median lobe larger, narrowly triangular or lanceolate-triangular, 5-7 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apex acute; lateral lobes smaller, triangular, 2.5-3.5 × 2-2.5 cm, scabrous on both surfaces, white setose, base truncate or slightly concave, margin callous-dentate, apex obtuse. Tendrils slender. Male flowers usually 5-15 in a 4-6 cm raceme; pedicels only 2-6 mm, puberulent; calyx tube narrowly campanulate, ca. 1 mm, hirsute; segments subulate, 0.3-0.5 mm; corolla yellow, pubescent; segments ovate-triangular, ca. 1 mm; anthers attenuate, glabrous; connective not produced; pistillodes glandular. Female flowers solitary in axils; pedicels filiform, 3-4 cm; calyx and corolla as in male flowers; ovary narrowly oblong, puberulent; styles short; stigmas enlarged. Fruiting pedicel slender, 3-4 cm, glabrous; fruit ovoid or subglobose, 1.5-1.8 cm × 5-12 mm, base slightly obtuse or attenuate. Seeds ovate, ca. 4 × 2.2 mm, ca. 1 mm thick, base obtuse-rounded, both surfaces scrobiculate, margin prominent.
A herb that lies along the ground. It grows each year from seed. The stems and branches are angular. The leaves are oval to heart shaped and 6-10 cm long by 4-10 cm wide. Usually they have 3 lobes. The fruit are oval and 1.5-1.8 vm long by 5-12 mm wide.
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