Vines, herbaceous. Branchlets terete, with longitudinal ridges, usually glaucous, glabrous; tendrils bifurcate. Leaves simple; stipules brownish, oblong, 5-6 × 2-3 mm, membranous, glabrous; petiole 2.5-7 cm, glabrous; leaf blade cordate-oval, 5-13 × 4-9 cm, glabrous, basal veins 3-5, lateral veins 3 or 4 pairs, veinlets inconspicuous, base cordate, margin with 9-12 sharp teeth on each side, apex acute or acuminate. Inflorescence umbelliform, terminal or leaf-opposed; peduncle 1-3 cm, glabrous. Pedicel 2-4 mm, nearly glabrous. Buds oval, ca. 4 mm, apex obtuse. Calyx entire or undulate. Petals triangular-ovate, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Anthers ovoid-elliptic. Lower part of ovary adnate to disk; style conical; stigma slightly expanded. Berry 0.8-1.2 cm × 4-8 mm, 1-seeded. Seed surface smooth, with sparse ribs. Fl. Jul-Oct, fr. Nov-May of following year. 2n = 22, 24.
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An evergreen vine. It will climb to 3-15 m high and spread to 3 m across. The stem is woody and it is a vigorous climber. Young shoots are shiny and dark purple. They are succulent. The leaves are 4-15 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. The leaves are bluish green and white on top and purple underneath. They are heart shaped. The flowers are yellow and in small clusters opposite the leaves. The fruit are black oval berries. They are about 1 cm across. They occur in bunches along the stem.
It is a tropical plant. It prefers humus rich, well drained soils. It needs a protected, shaded position. It is drought and frost tender. It grows in cooler rainforests. It often spreads over the ground. In Assam it grows in the plains and hills up to 3,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
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