A perennial vine, stems filiform, 3—8 m long, much branched, often matted together, glabrous or pubescent, dark green, brown, yellow or orange; haustoria small. Leaves reduced to tiny scales, spirally arranged, early caducous. Inflorescence an axillary, short, lax spike, 1.5—4 cm long, rachis rather thick. Flowers small, bisexual, sessile, protogynous, bracts 3, small, ciliate, perianth persistent; sepals 3, triangular-ovate, about 2 mm large, apex obtuse, not fleshy; petals 3, ovate-oblong, about 3 mm x 2 mm, concave, valvate, somewhat fleshy, white or yellowish; stamens in 4 whorls of 3, fertile stamens 9, anthers basifixed, 2-celled, dehiscent by uplifting valves, white, filaments laterally expanded, 2 outer whorls almost equal, eglandular, anthers introrse, third whorl with 2 glands at base, anthers extrorse, fourth whorl staminodal, small, yellow; ovary superior, hairy, style short, erect, stigma capitate or slightly 3-parted. Fruit a globose drupe, 6—9 mm in diameter, surrounded by fleshy perianth, slimy, black when ripe, narrow orifice at apex. Seed 1, with hard seed coat; endosperm absent, embryo well differentiated, straight.

Astringent and diuretic (plant); taken as a tonic (infusion of stems); as a vermifuge (pounded stems).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used internally for biliousness, piles, diarrhoea and spermatorrhoea and externally for cleaning ulcers and as an eyewash (infusion of stems); for other intestinal troubles, headache, malaria, fever, nephritis, oedema, hepatitis, and urinary problems (pounded stems); drunk or applied to the skin to relieve itch and eczema (decoction of stems); to treat indigestion, difficult parturition, to reduce fever, in haemorrhoids, to treat sinusitis and to promote menstruation (crushed stems); for treating venereal discharges, urethritis, trypanosomiasis, diarrhoea, gonorrhoea and syphilis and against parasitic conditions of the skin and scalp (whole plant); to hasten parturition, and to prevent haemoptysis (decoction of plant).