Stems usually long, slender and twining, sometimes shorter and suberect, densely or sparingly pubescent and sparingly armed with stinging hairs. Leaves distinctly petioled, membranous, ovate, acute or acuminate, base deeply narrow-cordate, margin distinctly and sharply serrate, 2–4 in. long, 1 1/2–2 in. wide, sparingly softly pubescent above, densely pubescent, sometimes almost velvety beneath and sparingly beset on both surfaces especially on the nerves with stinging bristles; petiole 3/4–2 1/2 in. long, densely pubescent and sparingly bristly; stipules lanceolate, 1–1 1/2 lin. long, reflexed, densely pubescent externally, glabrous within. Racemes lateral and terminal on the lateral branches, slender, rather lax, 1 1/2–2 1/4 in. long, with a naked peduncle 1/3– 1/2 in. long, densely pubescent with reflexed hairs, with many male flowers above and 2–3 basal female flowers; pedicels in both sexes solitary to the bracts, or occasionally the lower male flowers geminate, pubescent and shorter than the bracts; male bracts membranous, subulate, reflexed, pubescent externally, 1 lin. long; female bracts like the male but rather larger. Male sepals 3, wide-ovate, pubescent and sparingly bristly externally. Stamens 3; filaments as long as the anther. Female calyx-segments 6, ovate-lanceolate, membranous, accrescent with an at length indurated rhachis 6 lin. long, pinnately 3–4-lobulate on each side, lateral lobules and rhachis externally densely clothed with silky hairs and stinging bristles, terminal laminula narrowly lanceolate or subulate, membranous, lateral lobules like the terminal laminula ascending, 2 1/2–3 lin. long, ultimately deciduous. Ovary densely strigose and bristly; styles 3, glabrous, united in their lower half. Capsule 3-coccous, sparingly hirsute and densely bristly, 1/3 in. across; cocci subglobose. Seeds globose, brown mottled with grey.
