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Shrub or small tree, (1.2) 2–7 m. high, erect, sometimes virgate. Branches blackish-purple with pale lenticels at first, turning silvery-grey, glabrous. Leaves petiolate; lamina 6.5–16.5 (17.5) x 3–5.5 (7) cm., narrowly oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic-oblong, rounded or obtuse to acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, usually ± membranous, glabrous, often with a reddish midrib; petiole 1–6 mm. long, blackish, glabrous. Flowers solitary, extra-axillary or in the axils of fallen leaves, pendulous, appearing with the young leaves, scentless; pedicels 0.8–2.0 cm. long (or rarely to 4 cm. long), sparsely pubescent or glabrescent; bracteole 3–9 mm. long, ovate to orbicular, rounded, amplexicaul, glabrescent except for a marginal fringe. Sepals c. 5–10 (14) mm. long, elliptic to ovate or orbicular, obtuse or rounded, sparsely pubescent, spreading, with plane margins, green. Petals yellow or greenish at first, the inner ones with a reddish base, all turning purple-brown, the outer ones 2–3.5 (4.5) x 1.6–2.7 cm., obovate to broadly elliptic or suborbicular, rounded to obtuse or bluntly acuminate, widely spreading with plane margins, sparsely pubescent or puberulous, the inner ones (0.6) 1–1.6 x (0.9) 1.4–2.1 cm., broadly ovate to subhastate, obtuse or rounded to cuspidate, with a claw (0.5) 0.7–1.0 cm. long, erect or ± spreading, pubescent except for the glossy upper side of the claw. Stamens c. 0.5 mm. long, oblong. Ovary c. 0.75 mm. long, globose, sparsely pubescent. Fruit c. 4–5 cm. in diam., ± globose, wrinkled or lightly vertically ridged, mottled green-grey and brown, glabrous, reflexed, on a pedicel c. 1–3 cm. long. Seeds c. 1.5–2 cm. long, ± flattened-ovoid, smooth, yellow-brown.Slender liane up to 12 m. (at least). Leaf-lamina 11.5–13.5 x 4.8–5 cm., obovate, shortly and bluntly acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, subcoriaceous, glaucous-grey, glabrous, with orange nerves and reticulate venation prominent below; petiole 8 mm. long, stout. Flowers solitary, axillary ?; pedicels 3.8 cm. long, very slender, not broadened upwards. Sepals 2 mm. long, broadly ovate, obtuse, united at the base. Petals 6, in 2 whorls, free, unequal, the outer ones (damaged) much larger, the inner ones, c. 3 mm. long, oblong, obtuse. Stamens and carpels rather numerous. Fruiting carpels 1-seeded, elliptic, sparsely appressed-pubescent, yellow-brown. Seed erect.