Characteristics
An evergreen vine. It climbs to 4-25 m high and spreads 2 m across. The stem is woody, thick and four angled. It has tendrils. It is a vigorous climber. The young shoots have rusty hairs. The leaves are dark green on top and bluish green underneath. They have 5 oval leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand and on long leaf stalks. The leaflets are 5-8 cm long. They are unequal in shape. The flowers are yellow and in dense heads opposite the leaves. The flowers are about 4 mm across. The fruit are bluish black and juicy. They are round berries 2 cm across. They occur in bunches along the stem. There are 1-4 seeds per fruit and they are 4-7 mm across. The berries are edible.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
shrub
|
| Growth support |
climber
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
-
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
2.0
|
| 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. It prefers medium to heavy soils. It suits a protected, shady position. It is frost resistant but drought tender. It needs a temperature above 7°C to grow. It grows in rainforests. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The fruit are eaten. The skin needs to be avoided. They can be cooked or used for jam.
Cultivation
Plants are grown from fresh seeds or cuttings.
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
30 - 180
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
21 - 23
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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