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Climbing herb, glabrous except for the corolla; base of stem swollen in seedlings but otherwise without basal tuber or fusiform roots; stems very fleshy, up to 1 cm thick, smooth, usually irregularly blotched with pinkish-brown, twining only towards tip. Leaves reduced to fleshy ovate scales, soon lost. Inflorescence a pedunculate few-flowered, raceme-like cyme, peduncle longer than pedicels. Sepals ± linear. Corolla up to 6 cm long, outside glabrous; tube up to 45 mm long, basal swelling double, the lower swelling ovoid, uniformly grey, demarcated from upper swelling by well-defined constriction marking position of internal annulus, upper swelling spotted with red, the 2 together c. 1/2 as long as tube which widens gradually to mouth, interior glabrous except for band of cilia at top of upper chamber; lobes up to c. 16 mm long, with the sinuses between them produced into very prominent oblong lobes ± as long as corolla-tube, outside grey spotted with red, interior brilliant white with dark red tips to lobes, uniformly pilose. Outer corona of 10 slender erect lobes; inner corona-lobes similar to outer lobes. Follicles fusiform-cylindrical with blunt ± swollen tips.