Large woody climber to 30 m, exuding white latex when cut. Old stems coarsely striate, glabrous, up to c. 2.5 cm ø; young leafy stems conspicuously striate, ferrugineous-pubescent at first, later glabrescent. Leaves: petioles 6-21 cm, often rather slender, pu-berulous to glabrous, bent and slightly swollen at base and sometimes also at apex; lamina ovate to broadly ovate or elliptic, base truncate to cordate or obtuse, apex acuminate, 11—25(—29) by 4.5-20 cm, base 3-5-nerved with 2-3(-4) pairs of distal lateral nerves, nervation prominent on lower surface, upper surface (when dry) covered with a dense network of ± parallel hair-like ridges, glabrous, lower surface puberulous to glabrous, stiffly papyraceous. Inflorescences arising several together from protuberances on old stems, racemose, (5—)8—28(—35) cm, ferrugineous-tomentose, rarely glabrous. Male flowers on puberulous pedicels 2.5-5 mm; 3 outer sepals triangular-ovate to narrowly triangular, 1-2 mm long, lightly puberulous to glabrous; 6 main inner sepals white to yellow, elliptic, 4-5 mm long, re-flexed at anthesis, glabrous or externally lightly puberulous (rarely tomentellous); petals broadly elliptic, 2.5-3.5 mm long, erect and contiguous at anthesis, concave with lateral edges incurved, glabrous; stamens with or without apiculus, 2-2.5 mm, anthers either immersed in the thickened connective or rather prominent, dehiscence longitudinal to transverse. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male; staminodes linear-oblong, acute, 3 mm; carpels curved-ellipsoidal, 2 mm long, stigma shortly multi-lobed. Drupes at first green with white spots, later white to yellow (or orange), containing white latex, radiating from discoid carpophore terminating pedicels 1-2 cm, drying ± compressed-ellipsoidal, glabrous, base narrowed into a short stalk; endocarp compressed, narrowly to broadly elliptic or subovate in outline, 2-3.5 by 1-2 cm, base rounded to obtuse, apex obtuse to sharply acute, surface obscurely to strongly rugose or rugulose.
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Woody vines. Stems with bark erosely fissured; branchlets and petioles longitudinally striate, exuding white latex when cut; young branches purplish tomentose. Petiole 5-12 cm, puberulent or glabrous; leaf blade broadly ovate, 10-25(-29) × 9-14(-20) cm, thinly leathery, base subtruncate or slightly cordate, margin entire or irregularly serrulate, apex acutely acuminate or sometimes cuspidate, palmately 3-5-veined, with 1-3 pairs of lateral veins, prominent abaxially. Inflorescences arising several together from protuberances on old stems, racemose, often pendulous, 5-12 cm, purplish ferruginous tomen-tose or puberulent. Male flowers: sepals with outer whorl minute, inner whorl 6(-8), narrowly obovoid-elliptic to elliptic, 3-4.5(-5) mm, glabrous except margins papillose; petals 6, obovoid-elliptic to elliptic, 2-2.5(-3.5) mm, deeply emarginate; stamens 6, 1.4-2.5(-3) mm, connective prolonged, mucronate and incurved. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male; staminodes linear-oblong, ca. 3 mm; carpels 3, stigma shortly many lobed. Pedicel 1-2 cm. Drupes at first green with white spots, later white to yellow (or orange), with white latex, compressed ellipsoidal, ca. 4 × 1.7-2 × 1.3-1.5 cm, base rounded with short but distinct stalk; endocarp compressed ellipsoidal, 2-3.5 × 1-2 cm, surface obscurely to strongly rugose or rugulose, apex ± acute. Cotyledons extremely unequal, larger one 2-parted, base auriculate.
A woody climber. It can be 30 m long. The bark is cracked. The leaf stalks is 5-12 cm long. The leaves are broadly oval and 10-25 cm long by 9-14 cm wide. There can be irregular teeth along the edge. The fruit is fleshy and green but turns white to yellow. It is 4 cm long by 2 cm wide.
Uses. The milky exudate is used against dental caries (Vietnam), to alleviate sprue and fever (VAN STEENIS-KRUSEMAN, l.c.), and diluted it is used as an eyewash (Philippines; see BROWN, l.c., under T. philippinense). The fruits are used as fish-poison (Philippines; BURKILL, l.c., under T. philippinense), yet WHITMOREin his field-notes for FRI 3381 stated that the seeds are edible and sweet. The plant (? fruits) is used as a rat-poison in S. Sumatra (BURKILL, l.c., under T. phytocrenoides), while the roots and stems are used medicinally in Java.
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The seeds have been reported as eaten. This should be treated with caution.
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