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Inflorescences terminal on the stem and branches, each a dense globose head (occasionally slightly laxer, oblong and lobed) of agglomerated lateral compound cymes on a short tomentose axis, mostly 1.75–2.5 cm. in diam. when flowering but enlarging in fruit to form a burr up to 4 cm. across; the short inflorescence branches with white, lanate, matted hairs; peduncle (0.6) 3–4 (10) cm. long; bracts deltoid-ovate, glabrous, c. 2.5 mm. long, stramineous, distinctly mucronate with the brown, excurrent midrib; bracteoles lanceolate, c. 5–6 mm. long, the excurrent nerve forming a long, uncinate-tipped arista; ultimate divisions of lateral cymes formed mostly of a central fertile flower subtended on each side by a triad of one fertile and two lateral modified flowers-but variable and sometimes the central fertile or one or more of lateral fertile or modified flowers absent, and occasionally the "fertile" flowers with empty anther-sacs, abortive ovary, or both.
Erect and bushy or more commonly straggling to scandent perennial (?) herb, (0.3) 0.75–3 (6) m.; stem and branches terete and striate in the older parts, becoming bluntly tetragonous and finally sharply tetragonous-sulcate above, the older parts thinly to moderately pilose with patent or deflexed yellowish multicellular hairs, the younger parts densely pilose to thickly yellowish-tomentose or pannose; nodes distinctly swollen, when dry the stem and branches often shrunken above the nodes.
Leaves broadly ovate to broadly elliptic-oblong, (2.5)3.5–12 × (2)2.5–8 cm., shortly cuneate to subcordate at the base, shortly acuminate at the apex, moderately furnished on the darker green superior surface with appressed, multicellular, barbellate hairs, on the inferior surface densely pilose to closely velutinous, especially along the nerves; petiole c. 1–3 cm. long.
Perennial herb or climber, 0.3-3.0 m high. Leaves opposite, broadly elliptic to obovate, up to 100 x 60 mm, yellowish green, pubescence dense and short on both sides, apices acute, margins entire. Inflorescences peduncled, dense, globose. Flowers in small subinflorescences; perianth segments 5. Flowering time Jan.-June. Seeds solitary, golden-brown, ellipsoid, shiny.
Erect herb or scrambler, up to 1.5 m high. Leaves petiolate; blade ovate to broadly elliptic-oblong, 35-120 x 25-80 mm; petioles up to 30 mm long. Flowers: inflorescence a globose head; outer 2 perianth segments of mature fertile flowers with arista tipped with an uncinate hook; perianth greenish white; Feb.-Jul.
Tepals glabrous, acute, narrowly lanceolate; 2 outer tepals frequently more or less transversely undulate, 5–6.5 mm. long, 1-nerved, the distinct arista usually uncinately hooked but sometimes not; 3 inner tepals shorter, 2.5–5 mm., 2–3-nerved with hyaline margins and a greenish centre, shortly mucronate.
Erect herb or scrambler, up to 1.5 m high. Leaves ovate. Inflorescence a globose head. Perianth segments of sterile flowers converted into rigid, hooked, dull yellow spines. Flowers greenish white.
Filaments delicate and slender, c. 2–2.5 mm. long; pseudostaminodes subulate or linear-oblong to narrowly obcuneate, simple or denticulate to fimbriate, c. one third the length of the filaments.
Modified flowers of 2 narrow, uncinate-tipped bracteoliform processes and 2 shorter uncinate spines.
Capsule ovoid, c. 2–2.25 mm. long, membranous with a firm, flattish top.
Style slender, 1.75–2 mm. long; ovary obovoid-turbinate, c. 1 mm. long.
Seed c. 1.75–2 mm. long, ovoid, brown, almost smooth.
A scrambling herb. It can grow 5 m long.
Flowers pale greenish-yellow.
Stems to 16 ft. high
Climbing herb
