Perennial, monoecious, climbing or trailing up to 3 m; stem bristly-hairy. Tendrils simple, filiform. Leaves sagittate, hastate, subtriangular to ovate in outline, usually ± cordate, (12-) 15-90 (-100) mm long, and about as broad, ± 5-lobed to almost unlobed, sinuate-dentate to irregularly lobulate-dentate, scabrid; middle lobe longest, triangular; lateral lobes ovate-triangular; petiole 3-80 mm long. Flowers on 1-3 mm long pedicels; calyx tube 1-2 mm long, lobes 1 mm long; petals 1-2 x 1-1.2 mm. Berries 1-7, subsessile, axillary, clustered, subglobose, scarlet, smooth, glabrous, bristly when young, 5-11 mm in diameter. Seeds ovate, c. twice as long as broad.

Fl. Per.: April-October

Type: t. 170, fig. 2. Cucumis maderaspatensis fructu minimo in Pluk., Phytogr. 3, t. 170/2. 1692. (Meeuse, 1962).

Distribution: India, Pakistan, China, Malaya, Africa and Australia.