Batis hermaphrodita Blanco; Podospadix angustifolia Rafinesque; Pothos angustifolius (Rafinesque) C. Presl; P. chapelieri Schott; P. cognatus Schott; P. decipiens Schott; P. exiguiflorus Schott; P. fallax Schott; P. hermaphroditus (Blanco) Merrill; P. horsfieldii Miquel; P. leptospadix de Vriese; P. longifolius C. Presl; P. longipedunculatus Engler, nom. illeg. superfl.; P. microphyllus C. Presl; P. roxburghii de Vriese; P. scandens var. cognatus (Schott) Engler; P. scandens var. helferianus Engler; P. scandens var. sumatranus de Vriese; P. scandens var. zeylanicus de Vriese; P. scandens var. zollingerianus (Schott) Engler; P. zollingerianus Schott; Tapanava indica Rafinesque; T. rheedii Hasskarl.

Lianas, medium sized to rather large, to 6 m. Stems weakly 4-angled or subterete, to 10 mm in diam. Leaves paler abaxially, bright to deep green adaxially; petiole obovate-oblong to linear-oblong, 20-140 × 5-20 mm, broadly winged, base decurrent, apex truncate, rounded, or auriculate; each side with 2 or 3 secondary veins and numerous veinlets; leaf blade ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 2-10 × 3-14 cm, base rounded to acute, apex attenuate-mucronate; each side with 2 intramarginal veins arising from base and either reaching leaf tip or merging into a prominent submarginal collecting vein, all additional veins arising obliquely from midrib. Flowering shoot much abbreviated, arising from most of mid- to distal leaf axils of fertile shoots, bearing a minute prophyll and a few cataphylls 3-10 mm, sequentially longer. Inflorescence solitary; peduncle erect to spreading, green to purple tinged, 3-15 × 0.5-2 mm, slender. Spathe greenish to maroon, ovate, concave, 4-8 × 4-7 mm, base short or somewhat long clawed, margins variously inrolled, apex rounded to acute with a tiny, rather stout mucro. Spadix stipitate; stipe erect, greenish to maroon, terete in cross section, 5-10 × ca. 1 mm, distally erect to bent through 270°; fertile zone yellow-green to off-white, globose or ovoid to subclavate, 4-10 × 3.5-10 mm. Flowers 1-2 mm in diam. Infructescence with 1-5 berries. Fruit mid-green, ripening to deep scarlet, obclavate, 10-17.5 × 10-14 mm. Fl. and fr. throughout year.

This plant is used medicinally in Yunnan for treating traumatic injuries and rheumatic arthralgia. The leaves are used as tea by the Dai ethnic minority.

Rain forests, monsoon rain forests, mountain or river terraces, creeping on trees or on rocks; 200-1000 m. SE Xizang (Mêdog), S and SE Yunnan [Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, ?Nepal, Philippines, ?Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Indian Ocean islands (Comoros), Madagascar].