[1] In 1810, Thomas Jefferson planted this vine in his flower borders at Monticello along with larkspur, poppies, and nutmeg.

The soft, thin leaf blade is up to 12 centimeters in size, heart-shaped and broadly ovate to rounded in outline.

It has pale yellow, deeply veined flowers and round, somewhat warty, bright orange fruits, or "apples".

When ripe, the fruits burst apart, revealing numerous seeds covered with a brilliant scarlet, extremely sticky coating.

The red or orange, leathery berries are pointed-humped, ellipsoid and short-beaked with a length of 4.5 to 7 centimeters.

indicated that the outer rind and the seeds of the fruit are poisonous, however the Tsonga people found in the northern region of southern Africa eat the leaves of the plant along with the fruit which bears its name(In West Africa it is a popular anti Malaria remedy).