Woody climber with twining branches, up to 3–15 m. high. Branchlets subglabrous, brown with conspicuous paler raised lenticels. Leaves 8–21 (–30 outside Africa) cm. long; stipules triangular-ovate or subulate, 2–3 mm. long, caducous; stipels setaceous, ± 1 mm. long; leaflets 3–5(–7 outside Africa), lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 5–11 (–15 outside Africa) cm. long, 2.5–6.5(–7.5) cm. wide, acuminate, rounded to the very slightly peltate base, shiny, fresh-green, subglabrous, with 8–14 very fine usually rather inconspicuous spreading lateral nerves on either side and fine reticulate venation. Panicles terminal and axillary, subracemose, with the flowers clustered on very short axes lateral from the simple rhachis, 10–28 cm. long, with only small scattered hairs; bracts lanceolate or ovate, 0.5–1 mm. long, ciliate; bracteoles inserted near middle or on the upper part of the 2–4(–6) mm. long pedicel, similar. Calyx shortly and broadly campanulate, subtruncate with the teeth scarcely distinguishable, ciliolate but otherwise subglabrous. Corolla white to very pale mauve, tinged pink, 9–12 mm. long. Fruit ± kidney-shaped to subrectangular, rounded on the lower side, narrowly winged on the upper side, sessile, 3–4.5(–5.5) cm. long, 2–3(–3.5) cm. wide, pale, subglabrous or with scattered hairs towards base, venose, 1(–2 outside Africa)-seeded. Seeds oblong-reniform, mostly 1.5–2 cm. long, wrinkled, brown. Fig. 14.
