Lianas, woody. Branchlets terete, with longitudinal ridges, with dense rubiginous curly hairs; tendrils bifurcate. Leaves simple, both surfaces of same color when dry; stipules ovate-elliptic, 1.5-2 × 1-1.5 mm, apex obtuse; petiole 1.5-7 cm, densely ferruginous pilose; leaf blade cordate-oval, 6-11.5 × 5.5-8.5 cm, abaxially with dense rubiginous curly hairs, adaxially pubescent when young, then hairs falling off and with some hairs only on veins, basal veins 3-5, lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, veinlets conspicuous abaxially, base cordate, notch rounded or obtuse and angular, margin with 35-40 sharp teeth on each side, apex mucronate, rarely acute. Inflorescence umbelliform, leaf-opposed; peduncle 1.5-4.5 cm, with dense rubiginous curly hairs. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm, pubescent. Buds oval, 1.5-2 mm, apex rounded or obtuse. Calyx undulately lobed, pubescent. Petals oval, 1.3-1.7 mm, pubescent. Ovary sparsely pilose; style conical; stigma expanded. Berry 6-7 × 5-6 mm, 1-seeded. Seed surface with sharp ridges, ventral holes short and narrow. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 22.
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A woody creeper or vine that keeps growing from year to year. It will climb to 5-15 m high and spread to 4 m across. The stem is slender and woody. It climbs by tendrils which attach to objects. It usually loses all its leaves during the dry season. Young shoots are covered with brown hairs. The leaves are dull green and 6-12 cm long by 4-8 cm wide. They are broad and round or heart shaped. They have saw like teeth along the edge. The veins in the leaf are easy to see. The flowers are in small dense heads. They are green or cream and 2 mm wide. The flower bunches are produced in the axils of leaves near the ends of branches. The fruit are green berries which become black when ripe. They are 6-8 mm long. They resemble grapes. The are edible, but not attractive. They contain one seed which is round and 4-6 mm across.
It is a tropical plant. It grows most commonly on medium to heavy, moist soils. It suits a shaded and protected position. It is drought and frost tender. It grows along stream banks in open forest. In Sikkim it grows between 300-1,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
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Semi-deciduous thickets close to beaches, monsoon forest and open forest, usually on well-drained soils.
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