Cadaba fruticosa

Cadaba fruticosa is a deciduous much branched shrub with no thorns. 
It is a rigid wiry climber, growing up to 5 m in height. 

The bark of Cadaba fruticosa is dark brown and rough. 
The stems of Cadaba fruticosa are smooth when young, dark brown and grey in colour with white lenticels. 
The branches grow in a wiry and straggling habit. 

The leaves of Cadaba fruticosa are simple and grow in an alternate arrangement. 
The leaves are oblong to lanceolate in shape. 
They are 2.5 cm to 4 cm long and 1 cm to 2.5 cm wide. 
The leaf base is cuneate (narrowly triangular). The leaf apex is obtuse or apiculate and the leaf margin is entire. 
The leaf petiole is less than 0.5 cm long. 
The colour of the leaves is light green when young turning dark green at maturity. 
The leaves are slightly pubescent. 

The flowers of Cadaba fruticosa grow in terminal racemes or axillary solitary. 
They are up to 7 cm long including the elongated peduncle, which can be 1.5 cm long. 
The flower has 4 green sepals and 4 spathulate clawed white petals. 
The smaller sepals are narrow-lanceolate and the larger ones are obovate. 
The gynandrophore (the stalk of the pistil) is long, hairy, funnel-shaped and pale pink in colour. 
There are 4 exserted stamens and the ovary is one-celled.

The fruit of Cadaba fruticosa is a dehiscent, cylindric, slightly moniliform berry. 
It is about 4 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. 
The fruits are leathery when young. 
They are green in colour, turning orange when ripe. 
The internal tissues surrounding the seeds are often orange coloured. 
The fruits look similar to small red-orange chilis. 

The seeds of Cadaba fruticosa are kidney-shaped. 
They are very small and black in colour. 
They are found immersed in red-orange pulp.