Flora of North America species comparison

annual, climbing, branching, to 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.

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.

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.

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

peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf.

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 3.5–5 mm;

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

pedicel 0.5–2.2 cm.

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.

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

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

;

rhizomes linear.

= 26.

= 32.