Flora of North America species comparison

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

prickles absent.

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

prickles scattered, subulate.

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 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.

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

peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf.

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 3.5–5 mm;

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

pedicel 0.5–2.2 cm.

perianth brownish yellow;

tepals 3–6 mm;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.5–1 cm.

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

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

;

rhizomes slender, running.

= 26.