Erect shrub to small tree to 7 m high, green, densely pubescent with rust-coloured stellate hairs; prickles 3–9 mm long, wide at base, slightly recurved, on stems and leaves. Leaves broadly ovate or elliptic, 17–30(–40) cm long, 12–20(–30) cm wide, deeply lobed, discolorous, often more densely pubescent below; lobes deltate, margins irregularly sinuate; petiole usually 3–7 cm long. Inflorescences branched, up to 50-flowered; peduncle 1–2 cm long. Flowers on pedicels 10–15 mm long; calyx 7–10 mm long, lobes deltate-lanceolate, 6–8 mm long; corolla stellate, 30–45 mm diam., white, lobes ovate-oblong; anthers 6–8 mm long. Berry globose, 10–15 mm diam., yellow or orange-yellow; seeds 2–2.5 mm long, light brown. Flowers Oct.–Mar.
VVP, GipP, EGL. Also naturalised Qld, NSW. Native to tropical central America. Sparingly established south-east of Orbost at the old Corringle ‘night soil’ dump within dry sclerophyll forest.
