Monoecious, climber up to 4 m long with tuberous root. Stem angular-sulcate, glabrous to finely pubescent, ± glaucous; tendrils simple, elongated, subfiliform, glabrous. Leaves sinuately 3(-5)-lobed, 20-60 (-90) mm long, slightly broader than long, cordate, pale green above, greyish-green below, finely hairy on both surfaces; lobes obovate to oblanceolate, each 1-3-lobulate and minutely apiculate-obtuse. Petiole (8-) 10-30 (-35) mm long, glabrous to shortly hairy.

Male peduncle 4-6 cm long, 5-15-flowered; pedicels 1-5 mm long, filiform. Calyx lobes lanceolate, c. 1 mm long. Corolla dull or greenish yellow; segments ovate, obtuse, spreading, c. 1 mm long. Female flowers often solitary (sometimes in many-flowered clusters), on contracted axillary branch; (sometimes co-axillary with male flowers); pedicel 1-5 (-12) mm long, thickened in fruit; calyx-tube campanulate, c. 2 mm long; petals 1.5-2.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, reflexed. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, beaked, glabrous, smooth, 10-20 mm long, 5-8 mm across, red except for the greenish base and portion of beak which is 2.5-5 (-7) mm long. Seeds asymmetrically pyriform, smooth, c. 4 x 2.5 mm and 1.5 mm thick, yellowish, turgid.

Fl. Per. June-July.

Syntypes: Peninsular India, Klein 395 & 771 (B-W), Rottler 3531 (HBG), Rottler (K).

Distribution: India, Pakistan (Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan), Tropical East Africa and Sudan.