Liana; all but the youngest stems with thin, flaky bark. Petioles 1-2.5 cm long, canaliculate; blades obovate to elliptic, abruptly acuminate, mostly acute at base, 9-25 cm long, 3.5-10 cm wide, glabrous above, at first appressed-pubescent on veins below, the axils often tufted, glabrate in age. Cincinni axillary or borne on leafless stems, fasciculate, the axes pubescent; flowers few, pedicellate, 7-9 mm broad; sepals 5, +/- rounded and concave, glabrous to slightly pubescent on both surfaces; petals 3 or 4, white, 3-5 mm long, soon falling; stamens many, persistent, ca 5 mm long; ovary l, glabrous to slightly pubescent; style 1-2 mm long; stigma peltate. Fruits globose, ca 1 cm diam, red or purplish-red, often with sparse, +/- appressed trichomes, splitting regularly into 2 valves; seeds 2. Croat 9507,13488. Apparently uncommon in flower; seen both along the shore and in the vicinity of the Laboratory Clearing where sterile plants are frequent in the canopy. Seasonal behavior poorly known. Flowers from January to March (sometimes to April). The fruits probably mature mostly in April and May. Sometimes confused with specimens of D. major, but may be distinguished by lacking punctate leaves and having glabrous fruits. This species was reported by Standley as D. multiflorus Standl., but that name was considered synonymous with D. guianensis (Aubl.) Gilg. by Hunter in the Flora of Panama (1965). Kubitzki (1971) considered D. multiflorus and D. guianensis as distinct species, however, with D. guianensis restricted to Venezuela and the Guianas. D. guianensis is distinguished by having a pubescent ovary.