Flora of North America species comparison

adventitious, nodal.

of trunks and older branches brown, smooth.

appressed-pubescent when young, glabrous in age.

glabrous.

blade oblong to ovate-elliptic or obovate, 4-10 × 2.5-4.5 cm, those of appressed climbing stems distichous, appressed, smaller (than those of loose, extended, flowering stems), spreading, leathery, base obtuse to rounded, margins recurved, apex obtuse to nearly acute;

surfaces abaxially glabrous or puberulent on veins, adaxially glabrous, prominently reticulate;

basal pair of veins 1;

lateral pairs of veins 3-6, straight;

secondary veins prominent.

blade broadly ovate to ovate-orbiculate, 7-25 × 4-16 cm, thinly leathery, base rounded to truncate, margins entire, occasionally wavy, apex abruptly long-caudate or long-acuminate, tip to 2.5-9 cm;

surfaces occasionally glaucous, glabrous;

basal veins 2(-3) pairs;

lateral veins 6-9 pairs, the main veins finely reticulate.

vines or sprawling shrubs, vines closely appressed to substrate, shrubs loosely ascending, evergreen.

solitary, pedunculate, green, oblong, obovoid, pyriform, or nearly globose, 3-4 × 3-4 cm, slightly pubescent but becoming glabrescent in age;

peduncle thick, 8-15 mm; subtending bracts ovate, 5-7 mm;

ostiole closed by 3 bracts, umbonate.

paired, sessile, dark purple, nearly globose, 1-1.5 × 1-1.5 cm, glabrous; subtending bracts ovate, 3-5 mm, silky-puberulous;

ostiole closed by 3 bracts 2-3 mm wide, umbonate.