A stout, erect or reclining shrub, up to 1.5 m tall, scarcely branched, glabrous, with adventitious aerial roots. Leaves are simple, opposite, decussate, cauline, exstipulate, petiole short, flattened, glabrous, pulvinous to sheathing base. There is a distinguishing prickly leaf margin. Flowers are bracteate, curved, ovoid, entire, acute, basal cup-shaped, glabrous, greenish, two bracteoles partly covered by bracts; bisexual, typically zygomorphic, complete, erect, sessile, hypogynous. Fruits are 1 cm green and 2.5 - 2.0 cm long, kidney shaped 4 seed drupe. Seeds are 0.5 - 1.0 cm long; germination of seed is hypgoeal.

As an emollient (leaves)

Bioinformatics Centre, National Institute of Oceanography
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation
United Nations University

Betulin (leaves)

As a poultice on wounds, ground with ginger and applied on sore legs, and used as a porridge in treating bowel complaints (aerial parts); as a poultice for treating rheumatic pain, to facilitate delivery, in neuralgia and also used in snake bite (leaves); used to promote longevity (stem and leaves); useful in asthma and kidney stones (plant); in dyspepsia (decoction of plant).