Flora of North America species comparison

annual, climbing, branching, to 2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous;

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing, branching, ± woody, glabrous, ± unarmed, to stunted, rigid (shrublike), densely armed;

prickles pale green with dark tips, recurved, flattened, stout, 1–2 mm;

stems (especially in nodal areas) with small, waxlike nodules often connected by arachnoid filaments.

evenly distributed;

petiole ± equaling blade;

tendrils numerous, long, functional;

blade lustrous, dark green abaxially, narrowly to broadly ovate, 8–16 × 3.5–9 cm, often with minute, whitish pubescence abaxially mostly on veins, with transparent trichomes, base cordate, margins entire, convex, apex long-acuminate;

leaves on branches with oblong, smaller blade.

evergreen, ± evenly disposed;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade variable, dull green, thick, narrowly oblong-elliptic, elliptic-ovate, or oval, conspicuously veined, 2–19 × 0.6–13.5 cm, not glaucous or pubescent, base pointed to rounded to narrowly cordate, margins spinose, or sometimes entire with thick edges, apex abruptly mucronate, spiny, or emarginate.

numerous, axillary to leaves, 10–35-flowered, globose;

peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf.

few to numerous, axillary to leaves, few to numerous-flowered, ± open;

peduncle to 1.6 cm, ± equaling or shorter than subtending petiole.

perianth greenish;

tepals 3.5–5 mm;

anthers shorter than filaments, ovules (1–)2 per locule;

pedicel 0.5–2.2 cm.

perianth green;

tepals ca. 1.5 mm;

ovule 1 per locule.

black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, not glaucous.

purplish black, globose, sometimes pointed, ca. 6 mm, not glaucous.

;

rhizomes short.

= 26.