Slender single-stemmed dioecious shrub, (0.2–)1–2 m. tall, from a thick starchy root; bark slightly rough with raised lenticels which when young are covered with quartered or stellate cork cell masses. Leaves up to 50 cm. long, with 3–6 pairs of leaflets; petiole 5–15 cm. long, ± woody, brownish puberulous; rhachis 9–19 cm. long; petiolules ± thickened, 6–8 mm. long, brown-pubescent; leaflets opposite or alternate, the leaves sometimes appearing pseudo-imparipinnate, oblanceolate, obovate-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 4.5–23(–?32) cm. long, 2.9–8(–?11.5) cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, the actual tip ± obtuse or slightly acute, cuneate to truncate or very slightly subcordate at the base, glabrous save occasionally for few hairs on midrib beneath. Inflorescences pseudoracemose, borne on the stems just above or below ground-level, 4.5–30 cm. long, brown-puberulous; peduncle 7.5–25 cm. long; individual cymules numerous, up to ± 50, each 3–6-flowered. Flowers sweet-scented; buds grey-tomentose; pedicels up to 1.3(–2) mm. long; calyx pale green, campanulate to cylindric, 3–5.5 mm. long, shortly densely pilose, lobes unequal, 1–1.5 mm. long, 0.75–1.75 mm. wide; petals 4–5, cream, narrowly clawed, the claw linear (0.5–)1–2.5 mm. long, limb elliptic-oblong, (2–)4–5.5 mm. long, (0.5–)2 mm. wide, lobulate at the apex, margin crenulate, scale very variable, up to 1/3 the length of limb, adnate at the base or sometimes throughout, entire or bilobed at the apex, lobes simple, triangular, 0.5 m. long, a narrow horn-like crest sometimes present; disk semilunar, unilateral. Stamens 7–9; filaments 3–5 mm. long, pubescent. Ovary ellipsoid, 2.5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, 3-angled, 3-locular; style conical, 2.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, the stigmatose apex clavate and sulcate. Fruiting inflorescence mostly prostrate on ground; fruit fleshy, orange, 3-angled-subglobose or obtetrahedral, 3-lobed, (2.7–)3.6–5 cm. long and wide, acuminate at apex, rounded at base, the lobe margins acute, minutely pubescent. Seed ellipsoid or subdiscoid, 1.5–1.8 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. wide, 4–6 mm. thick, distinctly compressed, pale brown; hilum linear, 9 mm. long; testa scurfy-reticulate when dry. Fig. 21.
