Perennial (?) herb. often rather woody at the base, scandent or more rarely erect, 1–2(4) m.. much-branched, stem and branches weak, terete, striate, thinly to moderately furnished with whitish multicellular hairs, the older basal internodes finally glabrescent. Leaves lanceolate to broadly ovate, acuminate, those of the stem and branches 3.2–14 × 2.2–6 cm. including the 1–2.5 cm. petiole, dark green and thinly rather long-pilose on the upper surface, paler and more densely and shortly pubescent beneath (rarely tomentose on the midrib and principal veins), rounded to cuneate at the base; superior leaves of stem and branches rapidly reducing in size. Inflorescences thyrsoid, considerably elongating as the flowers open and finally up to 35 (48) cm. long including the (up to 9 cm.) peduncle, solitary and terminal on the stem and branches, axis moderately spreading-pilose or densely tomentose. Bracts lanceolate, 3–4 mm., darkly membranous-margined, persistent, moderately pilose, each subtending a partial inflorescence of 3–7 fertile flowers, most of which are set between two modified sterile flowers, but the central solitary. Bracteoles of triads of 1 fertile and 2 sterile flowers broadly deltoid-ovate, c.4 mm. long, abruptly shortly acuminate with a sharp yellowish to dark mucro formed by the excurrent midrib, broadly membranous-margined below, moderately densely pilose dorsally. Bracteoles of sterile flowers ovate-lanceolate, c.4 mm. long, membranous with a green midrib which is excurrent in a distinct brownish arista, thinly to moderately pilose. Tepals (6)7–8 mm. long, 3-nerved in the green centre with the nerves confluent above to form a short, sharp mucro, narrowly oblong-lanceolate; outer 2 tepals slightly longer, more or less uniformly long-pilose, narrowly membranous-margined, the inner 3 more broadly pale-margined (not conspicuously so since the margins are incurved), more densely long-pilose. Style long and slender, (2.75)3–3.5 mm. long. Sterile flowers dendroidly branched with several divaricate branches each ending in (6)9–15 (20) hooked setae up to c. 6 mm. long, usually brownish but occasionally yellow, forming a very dense globose \"burr\" c. 1.5–2.2 cm. in diam., concealing the fertile flowers. Fruit an oblong-ovoid capsule 2–2.25 mm. long, rupturing irregularly at the thin-walled base; seed c. 2 mm. long, ovoid, black, almost smooth, shining.
