Dioecious, somewhat woody, glabrous, parasitic vine; stems terete with thick adventitious roots at the nodes. Petioles ca 1 cm long, sometimes twining, if so their blades reduced; blades suborbicular, rounded at apex, obtuse at base, 3-5 cm long, 2.5-4 cm wide, coriaceous, the veins generally apparent. Flowers with strong, sweet aroma, greenish or greenish-yellow, fairly conspicuous, 5-7 mm long, in sets of 3 on slender spikelike inflorescences to 15 cm long, the ternations +/- sessile; tepals 6, slender, free, acute, spreading above middle; stamens of staminate flowers fused to lower half of tepals, exserted at anthesis (above recurving tepals); filaments thickened just below anther (providing some protection to nectary), 3 filaments somewhat longer than the others; anthers introrse, about as broad as long; stigma held midway between upper and lower sets of anthers; nectary small, the nectar not copious. Fruits ellipsoid, ca 1 cm long, faintly orange to rust-red or purple, with copious milky latex; seed solitary. Croat 12620, White 121. Mexico to Peru and western Brazil. In Panama, widespread and ecologically variable; known from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, Bocas del Toro, San Blas, Veraguas, Panama, and Darien, from premontane dry forest in Herrera and Coclé, from tropical dry forest in Panama (Taboga Island), from premontane moist forest in the Canal Zone, Los Santos, and Panama, from premontane wet forest in Chiriqui and Coclé, and from premontane rain forest in Darien (Cerro Pirre).