Vern.: Kangni, Sankhu.

A large woody climber, bark corky; young shoots marked with lenticels. Leaves very variable, elliptic, broadly ovate, suborbicular, obovate or oblong-ovate, glabrous, 5-11 x 2.5-6.5 cm, base cuneate, obtuse or rounded; apex acute, acuminate or obtuse, rarely emarginate. Panicles terminal, large, (2)5-10 cm long, drooping, pubescent, branching into compound cymes. Male flowers: minute, pale-green; calyx lobes suborbicular, toothed, 1 x 1.5 mm; petals oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse, entire, 2.5-3 x 1-1.5 mm; disc cupular, sometimes flat, the lobes obscure or slightly triangular; stamens c. 3 mm long, filaments subulate; anthers ovoid, obtuse. Female flowers: sepals, petals, and the disc similar to those of the male flowers; carpel 2-2.5 mm long; ovary globose, style columnar, stigma simple. Capsules 9-12 mm broad, subglobose, trivalved, 3-6-seeded; seeds yellowish-brown, each enclosed in a red fleshy aril.

Fl. Per. April-June.

Type: Described from India.

This species has been reported by Lambert from Mirpur in Kashmir (R. R. Stewart, l.c.) but I have not seen any authentic specimen of this from Pakistan.

Distribution: Foothill zone of the Himalayas, India, S. China, S.E. Asia to Austraila.

The leaves and the seeds are used in medicine.