Flora of North America species comparison

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

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing to clambering, branching, slender, 2–6 m, woody, glabrous;

prickles scattered, subulate.

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 semievergreen;

petiole 0.5–1 cm;

blade abaxially green, drying to lightly orange-tinted brown, ovate-oblong, to ovate-lanceolate, with 3 prominent veins, thin, 6–10 × 3–7 cm, glabrous or minutely pubescent abaxially, not glaucous, base rounded, subcordate, or, sometimes, cuneate at petiole insertion, margins entire, apex acute, mucronate.

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

few to many, axillary to leaves, few-flowered, loose, hemispherical;

peduncle 0.5–2 cm, generally shorter than petiole of subtending leaf.

perianth greenish;

tepals 3–3.5 mm;

anthers shorter than filaments;

ovules (1–)2 per locule.

perianth brownish yellow;

tepals 3–6 mm;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.5–1 cm.

globose, 8–10 mm diam., glaucous.

bright red to orange, globose, 7–9 mm, shining.

;

rhizomes slender, running.

= 26.