Flora of North America species comparison

annual, erect, 2–5 m, herbaceous, glabrous;

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing, branching, terete, 5+ m × 15 mm, woody, glaucous, glabrous;

prickles dark, flat, to 12 mm, rigid.

few, disposed distally or evenly distributed, subequal;

petiole shorter than blade;

tendrils absent or rudimentary;

blade oblong, oblong-ovate, or sometimes oval, 2.5–12 × 1.5–7.5 cm, not glaucous, puberulent abaxially, base rounded to slightly cordate, margins entire, apex broadly rounded to obtuse or abruptly pointed.

evergreen, ± evenly arranged;

petiole 0.5–1.5 cm;

blade abaxially green, drying to pale brown to brownish green, oblong-elliptic, lance-elliptic, or, sometimes, linear or broadly ovate, not prominently reticulate, 3-veined from base, 7–13 × 1.3–4(–6) cm, coriaceous, not glaucous, glabrous or minutely pubescent abaxially, base attenuate to rounded;

margins entire, often revolute, teeth absent;

apex acute to rounded, often mucronate.

1–3, proximalmost axillary to bracts, 5–12-flowered.

numerous, axillary to leaves, generally on short branches, 5–12(–25)-flowered, ± open, spherical;

peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm, shorter than subtending leaf.

perianth greenish;

tepals 3–3.5 mm;

anthers shorter than filaments;

ovules (1–)2 per locule.

perianth yellow, cream, or white;

tepals 4–5 mm;

anthers exceeding filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.5-1 cm.

globose, 8–10 mm diam., glaucous.

black, ovoid, 5–8 mm, shining, glaucous.

forming extensive colonies;

rhizomes irregularly branched, tuberous, woody.

= 26.