Scandent perennial herb; tuber napiform. Young stems herbaceous, shortly finely pubescent, soon becoming softly ligneous and developing a thin pallid papyraceous bark. Leaf-lamina 5·5–10·5 × 3·5–11·5 cm., ovate or broadly ovate in outline, cordate, shortly pubescent becoming scabrid-punctate above, shortly pubescent or hispid becoming asperulous or scabrid beneath, unlobed or incipiently to deeply palmately 3–5-lobed; lobes ovate, ovate-rhombic or elliptic, ± sinuate-denticulate, obtuse to acute, often shortly acuminate, apiculate, the central largest, undivided or incipiently to deeply laterally 3–5-lobulate. Petioles 1·5–5·8 cm., shortly and finely spiculate-pubescent. male flowers usually numerous in sessile racemiform fascicles, axillary or nodal on leafless stems; bracts 2–25 mm. long, elliptic to broadly ovate-cordate, stalked, lobed, when large resembling small leaves; pedicels 1–8·5 cm. long, crispate-pubescent, often villous in upper part. Receptacle-tube 5–8 mm. long, obconic, laxly villous or pubescent, lobes 6–13 × 1·2–2·2 mm., lanceolate, entire or shortly dentate in upper part, acute, pubescent or villous. Petals 2·3–3·6 × 1·4–2·6 cm., ivory-white, cream or pallid yellow, obovate, rounded, apiculate. Anther-thecae shortly and finely hairy. female flowers unknown. Fruit 6·5–9 × 2·8–4 cm., oblong-ellipsoid, rounded at the base, smooth, terete, subacute, fleshy, orange; fruit-stalk c. 2 cm. long. Seeds 7·8–9 × 6–7·2 × 4·8–5·8 mm., subpisiform, smooth, black, slightly bordered.
