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Leaf blades 3–11 × 1–5 cm, ovate-oblong to oblong or oblong-lanceolate, shortly ± acute acuminate at the apex, crenate-serrate with the teeth forwardly directed on the margins, shallowly wide-cordate to ± deep and narrowly cordate at the base, membranaceous, 3–5-nerved from the base, sparingly pubescent or hispid on both surfaces, very sparingly setose along the midrib and main nerves on both surfaces; lateral nerves in 3–6 pairs, scarcely to slightly prominent above and beneath.
Inflorescences 3–5 cm long, the peduncle 1–2 cm long, ± laxly flowered; male bracts 2–2.5 mm long, obovate-subspathulate, entire, adaxially concave, puberulous without, glabrous within; male bracteoles 1–1.5 mm long, subulate or linear, fugacious; female bracts 3.5 × 2.5 mm, ovate, entire or with a few small sharp lateral teeth; female bracteoles 2.5–3 mm long, linear-lanceolate, entire or subentire.
Similar to T. natalensis from which it differs in having leaves simply serrate with the teeth forwardly directed, the ♀ bracts elliptic-ovate to broadly ovate and subentire, the ♀ calyx-lobes with 4–5 lobules on each side, and in having the stylar column subglobose or pyriform.
Male flowers: pedicels 3 mm long, minutely puberulous; buds turbinate, truncate at the apex; calyx tube very short, scarcely constricted; calyx lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, broadly ovate, sparingly puberulous without, glabrous within; stamens minute; pistillode minute, circular.
Stipules 3–5 mm long, linear-lanceolate, sparingly pubescent without, glabrous within, thinly coriaceous, buff, persistent.
Seeds 4.5 mm in diameter, globose, buff, closely spotted, flecked and mottled with dark brown.
Young stems minutely puberulous and/or retrorsely hispid intermixed with stinging bristles.
Fruit 5 × 9 mm, 3-lobed, smooth, sparingly appressed-pubescent, and setose on the keels.
Petioles 0.5–7 cm long, indumentum similar to that of the stems.
A liane extending up to 6 m in length, monoecious.
