Twining liana; stems becoming distinctly woody, to 12 cm in diam. Young stems sparsely pubescent with appressed simple hairs, sometimes also with minute porrect simple hairs, glabrescent. Leaves petiolate; petiole 5–20 mm long, winged, indumentum as for the young stems; lamina oblong to narrowly obovate, (5–) 15–20 (–25) cm long, (2–) 4–8 (–10) cm wide, subcoriaceous; margin entire; apex acute to obtuse; adaxial surface ± glossy, glabrous; abaxial surface dull, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal, (20–) 40–100 (–200)-flowered; axis glabrous or with indumentum as for the young stems. Bracts subtending branches of the inflorescence, caducous (often appearing absent in fruiting specimens), glabrous or with sparse ± appressed simple hairs; bracts ovate or elliptic to obovate, 2.5–5 (–40) mm long, acute to obtuse, occasionally those near the base much larger and leaf-like; bracts subtending the pedicel scale-like, to c. 1.5 mm long, acute. Flowers pedicellate; pedicel 2–3 mm long, indumentum as for young stems. Sepals 5 (6), 4–6 mm long, the margin ciliolate, abaxial surface glabrous or with sparse appressed simple hairs, adaxial surface sparsely to moderately pubescent with appressed simple hairs; inner sepals slightly longer and wider than outer sepals. Petals 3, greenish white to cream-coloured, broadly elliptic to orbicular, 6–7 mm long, ± entire. Stamens 110–115; filaments very slender, free, 3–4 mm long; anthers with thecae separated and marginal at the apex of the broadened, ± emarginate connective, 0.6–0.8 mm long (including the connective). Carpels 3; ovaries ovoid, ± glabrous; styles c. 2 mm long. Ovules 8–10 per carpel. Fruiting carpels ovoid, 5–7 mm long, with beaked apex, 1-seeded. Seeds globular, 3.5–4 mm long, glossy black; aril fimbriate, red, enclosing the seed.
Grows in rainforests, riverine forests, low shrublands, and on beach dunes, and at an elevation from around sea-level to 400 m.
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