The following description is from Acevedo-Rodr’guez (2005);Herbaceous vine, monoecious, creeping or climbing by axillary tendrils, attaining 5-10 m in length. Stems green, angular, scabrous, tendrils trifid. Leaves alternate, blades 15-20 cm long, 5-7-palmatilobed, chartaceous, the lobes more or less deep, the apex acute or acuminate, the base cordiform or hastate, the margins sinuate-dentate or denticulate, upper surface scabrous, lower surface pale green, scabrous, petioles 8-10 cm long. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx urceolate, with keeled lobes, 10-12 mm long, triangular, corolla pale yellow, the lobes deep, obtuse. Staminate flowers in racemes, stamens 3, the filaments free, 3-4 m long, villous. Pistillate flowers solitary, with a hypanthium less than 1 cm long, staminodia 3, minute, glandular, ovary inferior, tricarpellate, claviform, 10-angled, with numerous horizontal ovules, the style short, the stigmas globose. Fruit claviform, with 10 longitudinal ribs, 15-30 cm long, the pericarp crustose, dehiscent by apical pores, seeds numerous, ovate, 11-12 mm long, blackish, rugose.