Flora of North America species comparison

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

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing, branching, terete to quadrangular, 5–6+ m × 6 mm, woody, glabrous;

prickles green with dark tips, stout, to 12 mm.

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.

deciduous to evergreen, ± evenly disposed;

petiole 0.5–1.5 cm;

tendrils numerous;

blade variable, bright green, drying to pale to brownish green, usually ovate to broadly ovate, with 3 (or 5) ± prominent veins, 4–17 × 4–16 cm, lustrous, not glaucous, glabrous abaxially, base cordate to rounded with acute insertion at petiole, margins entire, apex abruptly pointed.

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

numerous, axillary to leaves, 5–12(–20)-flowered, open to dense, hemispherical to spherical;

peduncle to 1.5 cm, longer or shorter than petiole of subtending leaf.

perianth greenish;

tepals 3–3.5 mm;

anthers shorter than filaments;

ovules (1–)2 per locule.

perianth pale yellowish green to bronze;

tepals 3–4 mm;

anthers shorter than to ± equaling filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.2–1.5 cm.

globose, 8–10 mm diam., glaucous.

blue-black to black, globose, 5–8 mm, glaucous.

;

rhizomes linear.

= 26.

= 32.