Flora of North America species comparison

annual, erect to ascending, branched, 2–2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous;

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing, branching, terete, to 7+ m × 9 mm, woody, glabrous, with prickles proximally, prickles usually absent distally;

prickles blackish, unequal, 3–10+ mm, bristly, flexible.

evenly distributed, proximalmost smaller, narrower;

petiole 1.5–9 cm, shorter than blade;

tendrils numerous, long, functional;

blade not lustrous, pale green abaxially, ovate to round, 4–8 × 3–6 cm, not glaucous, pubescent abaxially, with transparent trichomes, base cordate, margins entire, convex, apex acuminate to rounded and cuspidate.

± persistent in southern part of range, deciduous in north;

petiole 1–2 cm;

blade green, drying to light olive-gray, ovate-lanceolate, ovate, or sometimes pandurate, prominently reticulate, thin, 5–13 × 3–10 cm, not glaucous, glabrous (to prickly on major veins abaxially), base rounded to cordate, margins entire apically, minutely serrulate basally, thin, flat, not banded, not lobed, apex pointed.

many, axillary to leaves, to 35-flowered, dense, globose;

peduncle to 12+ cm, short.

many, axillary to leaves, to 25-flowered, open to dense, spherical;

peduncle often drooping, 1.5–6.5 cm.

perianth greenish;

tepals 35–45 mm;

anthers equaling or shorter than filaments;

ovules (1–)2 per locule;

pedicel 0.5–1.5 cm.

perianth green to bronze;

tepals 4–5 mm;

anthers ± equaling to shorter than filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.4–1.2 cm.

bluish black to black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, glaucous.

black, globose, 6–10 mm, not glaucous.

;

rhizomes knotty, short.

= 26.