Woody twiner; new shoots medium hairy with thick based uniseriate hairs, but fairly rapidly glabrescent. Adult leaves clustering on short shoots, becoming alternate on twining branches; leaf shape very variable apparently related to developmental stage and altitude: intermediate leaves, adult leaves at lower altitudes narrowly obovate to narrow, 18–25 mm long, 5–6 mm wide; higher altitude forms (over 400 m) approaching linear 15–35 mm long, 2–3 mm wide; petioles sheathing, 1–2 mm. Dark glossy green upper surfaces, lower paler. Inflorescences of solitary, bisexual, tubular flowers; buds yellow with bright green tips (blue in herbarium specimens), peduncles as long as the flowers, slender, nodding glabrous, 10–14 mm long. Sepals very unequal and variable, 3–5 mm long, ovate; purple-blue, outer surface glabrescent, inner hairy. Petals 16–24 mm, persisting cohering in the throat at anthesis, not recurving, initially green-yellow with navy spots on margins, eventually stained navy blue from blotching from the throat and margins at sex phase change. Stamens free, with filaments much longer than anthers, tapering, eventually blue; anthers white with mauve pollen. Pistil with vestigial basal nectary; ovary 5–8 mm long, ridged, dense hairy; style slender, 17–20 mm long. Fruit appearing unilocular, berry-like with seeds in separate dry cells, ovate, 13–20 mm long, 10 mm diam., glossy purple; pericarp flexible, thin, not pithy. Seeds free, c. 1.8 mm long, surface ridged, swirled striate.
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A slender woody plant. It has twining stems. It climbs over other plants. It grows 2-4 m tall. The leaves are narrow. They are produced alternately. The leaves are dark green and shiny. They are 2-5 cm long by 0.3-0.5 cm wide. The flowers have 5 petals and hang downwards. They are greenish-yellow and flushed with purple. The flowers are bell shaped. They are 1-3 cm long. The fruit is a berry. It is purple. It is 2 cm long and fleshy. It contains many seeds.
A forest and woodland species, mainly in southern open eucalypt forest (Eucalyptus obliqua, E. viminalis and E. amygdalina at lower altitudes, E. delegatensis at higher altitudes). An altitudinal cline is present with the plants with the widest and longest leaves and largest flowers and fruits on lengthy stalks occurring in near coastal woodland habitats, all plant parts reducing in size on the dolerite scree slopes in higher E. delegatensis forests.
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A temperate plant. It grows in cool, wet forests. It needs well drained soil. It can grow in full sunlight. It can stand light frosts. In Tasmania it grows to 900 m altitude. Hobart Botanical Gardens. Tasmania Herbarium. Arboretum Tasmania.
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