This climber with bright green leaves bears striking orange to red spindle shaped ripe fruit. It is a glabrous to slightly hairy perennial herb with a tuberous rootstock. The fruit ripens to bright orange or red and is edible and sweet, tasting like watermelon. The balsam pear bears flowers and fruits throughout the year, but mainly from October to May. The fruit is eaten by birds, ants, probably by some mammals and also by humans. The leaves and green fruit are cooked and eaten as spinach, sometimes with groundnuts, or simply mixed with porridge. The young leaves contain vitamin C. The raw ripe fruits are also eaten. It is reported that the Zulu use infusions of this plant for stomach and intestinal complaints. It is also used in a poultice for burns and is reputed to be used to treat diabetes.