Vines, climbing. Roots tuberous, enlarged. Stem and branches longitudinally angular-sulcate, sparsely puberulent, glabrescent. Petiole slender, 4-12 cm, puberulent; leaf blade broadly ovate-cordate, 8-16 × 7-14 cm, membranous, abaxially puberulent, adaxially white setose, basal lateral veins along base of blade, base cordate, margin dentate, sometimes irregularly triangular-serrate, apex acute or shortly acuminate; sinus open, semicircular, 1-3 cm deep, 1-2 cm wide. Tendrils filiform, 2-fid or simple. Male flowers 6-10 at apex of peduncle in raceme or panicle; peduncle 5-12 cm, puberulent; pedicel 1-3 cm, puberulent; calyx tube campanulate, 5-7 mm in diam.; segments lanceolate, 10-12 mm, puberulent, 1-veined, apex acuminate; corolla segments oblong-elliptic or oblong, ca. 20 × 6 mm, 5-veined, apex shortly acuminate or acute; stamens 4 connected at base in pairs and 1 free; filaments 4-5 mm, puberulent, with 3 scales at base; anthers oblong, ca. 4 mm; rudimentary ovary absent. Female flowers solitary, or 2 or 3 to many in a raceme; pedicels 2-6 cm; calyx and corolla as in male flowers; staminodes 5, ca. 2.5 mm; ovary narrowly ovoid or ovoid-oblong, verrucose-rugose; style 3-4 mm; stigma enlarged, reniform, 2-lobed. Fruiting pedicel 6-9 cm; fruit ellipsoid, 5-10 × 3-4 cm, rugose, base attenuate at pedicel to 10 mm. Seeds narrowly ovate, 5-6 × 2-2.5 mm, smooth. Fl. and fr. Jun-Nov.
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