A dioecious, perennial vine of up to 10 m long, stem slightly grooved, velutinous; leaves broadly ovate, entire to slightly 3-lobed, 10-16 cm x 5-18 cm, base cordate, lobes acute, pubescent above, velutinous below; corolla about 6 cm in diameter; male inflorescence 10-20 cm long, bracts elliptical, 3-4 cm long, entire or nearly so, acute; female flowers solitary; fruit globose to ellipsoid-globose, 8-13 cm in diameter, bright yellow to reddish-brown or red; seeds obovate with a truncate apex, compressed.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used to treat diarrhoea (juice of plant); used externally to reduce fever, and also to alleviate the pain of swollen legs of women during pregnancy (paste of leaves)

Christophe Wiart. Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific, P:114-115, CRC Press, June 2006