Flora of North America species comparison

perennial, prostrate to clambering, branching, slender, to 1 m, ± woody, densely woolly-pubescent, usually prickly (especially at base).

mostly evergreen, ± evenly disposed;

petiole 0.05–0.25 cm, often longer on sterile shoots;

blade gray-green, drying to ashy gray-green, obovate to ovate-lanceolate, with 3 prominent veins, 6–10.5 × 5–8 cm, glabrous adaxially, densely puberulent abaxially, base cordate to deeply notched, margins entire, apex bluntly pointed.

evergreen, distally disposed (± evenly disposed on immature plants);

petiole 0.3–1.3 cm;

blade deep green, often variegated, drying to pale green, lanceolate-elliptic to narrowly ovate, prominently reticulate, 5-veined from base, 5–6.6 × 1.7–3 cm, abaxially glabrous, not glaucous, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire to undulate, apex acuminate.

1–7, axillary to leaves, 5–16-flowered, loose, spherical;

peduncle 0.2–0.8 cm, shorter than to 1.5 as long as petiole of subtending leaf.

many, axillary to leaves, 7–15-flowered, loose to dense, hemispherical to spherical;

peduncle 0.5–2.3 cm.

perianth yellowish;

tepals 3–4 mm;

anthers much shorter than filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel thin, 0.1–0.4 cm.

perianth green;

tepals 3–6 mm;

anthers ± 1/5 as long as filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel (0.3–)0.5–0.7(–1) cm.

red, ovoid, 5–8 mm, with acute beaks, not glaucous.

black, globose to compressed, 5.5–8 mm, glaucous.

;

rhizomes irregularly tuberous, branched, thick, to 1.5+ m. Stems perennial, climbing, greenish or reddish brown, terete, 10+ m × 27 mm, woody, glabrous, glaucous when young;

prickles few, scattered, recurved, flattened, 3–4 mm.