Characteristics
A shrub or scrambling climber. It lies along the ground and can spread 2-4 m wide. It has short spines and tendrils along the stems. It grows from a perennial tuber. The leaves are compound, large and coarse. The leaves are generally divided into 5-9 leaflets which vary in size and shape. The blade of the main leaflets is 5-13 cm long by 1-8 cm wide. They are dark green on top and whitish underneath. There can be irregular teeth around the edge of the leaf. Flowers are small and dark red. The fruit are round fleshy berries. They can be 1 cm across. They occur in dense clusters like grapes. They are purple black when ripe.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
shrub
|
| Growth support |
climber
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
-
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
2.0 - 4.0
|
| Mature height (meter) |
-
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
c3
|
Environment
A tropical plant. They grow naturally in tropical open forests. It grows in a variety of soils.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The berries are eaten raw. The roots are eaten after roasting.
| Uses |
-
|
| Edible
|
fruits
roots
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
|
| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed or by stem cuttings.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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