A woody climber, young branchlets tomentose to sparsely pubescent. Leaves 5-18.5 cm x 2.5-9 cm. Flowers in panicles 10-15 cm long, on peduncles 2-6 cm long; bracts lance-subulate; hypanthium 3-6 (7) cm long, brightly colored; calyx lobes 1.5-2.5 mm long; petals opening white, turning red, 8-16 mm long. Fruit 30-35 mm long, 10-12 mm thick, ovate-elliptic in profile, 5-winged, uncommonly produced.

Anthelminthic (root, seed and fruit)

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation
Philippine Medicinal Plants

Citric acid, GABA, malic acid, oleanolic acid, oleic-acid, palmitic acid, quisqualic acid, stearic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, trigonelline (fruits); linoleic acid, myristic acid (seed).

Used to alleviate nephritis and as anthelminthic against ascarids; sustains the spleen and cause obstructions to disappear (fruits and seeds); as a gargle effective against toothache (decoction of fruit); macerated in oil are applied to parasitic skin diseases, boils or sores on children's faces, and when roasted are given to treat diarrhoea and fever (seeds); given to children to stop diarrhea (decoction of seeds); applied to the head to relieve ache caused by jungle fever (leaves); considered as a remedy for boils and ulcers (leaf juice); used for dysuria (decoction of boiled leaves); eaten daily by men and women as a method of birth control (plant); used to treat rheumatism (root).