Viny shrub or tall herb, upto 1.5 m high, scarcely woody, bushy, with very dense growth   
Shallow tap roots, but occasionally stilt roots are conspicuous   
Leaf simple, opposite, decussate, cauline, exstipulate, petiole short, flattened, glabrous, pulvinous to sheathing base   
Lamina oblong, elliptic-oblong, spiny  margin and wavy, apex acute, basal angled, dorsiventral, green   
Inflorescence raceme, spike, upto 16 cm long, peduncled   
Flowers bracteate, curved, ovoid, entire, acute, basal cup-shaped, glabrous, greenish, two bracteoles partly covered by bracts   
Flower bisexual, typically zygomorphic, complete, erect, sessile, hypogynous,   
Sepals 5, polysepalous, twisted, borad, ovate, margin folded, acute, basal curved, coriaceous, greenish , persistent   
Petals 1, large, showy, violet, ovate, entire, obtuse, coriaceous, slightly fleshy, slightly curved, margin outerly folded, deciduous   
Stamens 4, free filament, erect   
Carpels 2, syncarpous, ovary dumbel-shaped, glabrous, terete, ovary superior, two chambered, two ovules in each chamber, axile placentation   
Styel 1, terminal, persistent, terete, glabrous   
Stigma two bifid.   
Fruit 1 cm green and 2.5 - 2.0 cm long, kidney shaped 4 seed drupe, Seed 0.5 - 1.0 cm long    
Germination of seed hypgeal 

Economic Importance : Useful in asthma,  decoction used in dyspepsia. Leaves used as fomentation in rheumatism and neuralgia and also used in snake bite.