Usually a liana, sometimes a shrub or small tree. Twigs densely to sparsely minutely pubescent and glabrescent or glabrous; axillary spines sometimes present. Leaves rhomboid to suborbicular and elliptic to lanceolate, 1¾-18 by 1-9 cm, chartaceous (rarely ± herbaceous) to coriaceous, smooth to densely minutely warty on the lower surface, above glabrous to tomentose on the midrib and the bases of the nerves, beneath mainly on midrib, nerves, and veins, sometimes sparsely all over the leaf; base cuneate to subcordate, often attenuate (in Australian specimens sometimes decurrent to the base of the petiole), apex tapering acute-acuminate to slightly emarginate, occasionally mucronate; 3-5-plinerved at the base; petiole 1.5-7.5 mm. Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal, 1-5 cm long, subsessile or distinctly peduncled, dense to lax, always fairly many-flowered, densely minutely tomentose to glabrous. Calyx 1-2 mm, sepals ovate to suborbicular, acute to rounded, outside glabrous to densely tomentose, inside glabrous. Corolla 3-4 mm long, about halfway connate, lobes strongly thickened in their upper part, outside glabrous or very rarely sparsely tomentose, inside with a row of erect bristle-like hairs at the base of or up to halfway on the lobes. Stamens inserted at c. 1/4 the length of the corolla below the hair ring, filaments short, glabrous, anthers (broadly) ovate, ⅔-1 mm long, usually minutely apiculate, barbate, rarely moreover ciliate all around. Pistil 1.25-2 mm, glabrous. Fruits some to many, either oblique-ovoid, 1.5-2 by 0.75-1.25 cm, and slightly scabrous, or globular, ¾-1.5 cm ø and smooth, pericarp thin, corneous. Seeds 1-2, either elliptic, 7.5-15 by 6-10 by 3-5 mm, or orbicular, 6-7½ mm ø.
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Lianas to 20 m. Branchlets puberulent or glabrous; axillary spines spirally curved apically. Petiole to 1 cm; leaf blade elliptic, narrowly elliptic, ovate, or suborbicular, 2--10 X 1--5 cm, papery to leathery, abaxially pubescent or glabrous, adaxially glabrous or pubescent only on midvein, base attenuate to subcordate, apex acuminate, basal veins 3--5. Cymes axillary and/or terminal, 2-or 3-branched, 1--5 cm, many-flowered, pubescent or glabrous. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 1--2 mm, outside pubescent or glabrous, inside glabrous; lobes ovate to suborbicular. Corolla 3--4 mm; tube ± as long as lobes, glabrous or outside puberulent; lobes narrowly ovate, outside glabrous or very rarely puberulent, inside with a row of erect bristlelike hairs at base or to middle of lobes, apically strongly thickened. Stamens inserted at middle of corolla tube, included; filaments very short; anthers ovate, apex apiculate, base bearded to ciliate. Pistil 1.5--2 mm, glabrous. Ovary globose, ca. 1 mm in diam. Berries ovoid to globose, to 2 cm in diam., 1-or 2-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid to rounded, 6--12 mm in diam. Fl. Mar-Aug, fr. Jun-Dec.
In and along primary and secondary forests, in dry as well as in swampy localities, sometimes on coastal rocks, up to 2000 m. Fl. mainly March-Aug., fr. Jan.-Dec.
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