Slender woody climber, entirely glabrous. Stems striate when young, lenticellate, later developing a pergamentaceous subnitidous bark, drying wrinkled. Leaves: petioles 6-13 cm; lamina ovate to broadly ovate, base slightly cordate or truncate, apex abruptly acuminate, 11-16 by 7.5-12 cm, reticulation very fine and raised on both surfaces, stiffly papyraceous, glandular patches present in basal nerve axils beneath. Male inflorescences axillary or arising from older, leafless stems, pseudo-paniculate, 13-20 cm long, the lower lateral branches up to 3.5 cm. Male flowers on very slender pedicels 5-10 mm; sepals pale green, outer 3 ovate, 1.5-1.8 mm long, inner 3 broadly elliptic, 4.5-5.5 mm long; petals 6, broadly spathulate to obovate-cuneate, externally papillose in basal region, 2.5-3 mm long; stamens 6, narrowly clavate, 3-5 mm long. Female inflorescences pseudo-paniculate towards the base, pseudo-racemose towards the apex with the flowers in fascicles, c. 30-40 cm long. Female flowers (known only from buds): sepals and petals similar to male; staminodes 6, subulate, 0.7 mm long; carpels 3, ellipsoidal, 1.3 mm long including spreading slightly lobed stigma. Drupes red, usually only one developing on each 3 mm long columnar carpophore, on peduncles 1.3-2.5 cm, very knobbly when dry with pericarp drying close to endocarp; endocarp bony, strongly and irregularly tuberculate, rather oblong in outline with squarish corners but pointed at base and apex, 10-12 by 7-8 mm, ventrally flattish with a large elliptic cavity (i.e. the condyle).
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