Erect herb 0.9–1.8 m. tall, often ± glaucous when young from an orange ± ovoid tuberous rootstock to 15 cm. long, 5 cm. wide; stems often crimson, swollen at the nodes; plant glabrous except for ciliate stipules or very slightly pubescent; tendrils absent.. Leaves very variable, the upper pair often opposite, often red or edged with red, digitately 3(–5)-foliolate; leaflets sessile, linear to oblong-elliptic, 2–30 cm. long, (0.1–)4–10 cm. wide, acuminate or ± obtuse but apiculate at the apex, cuneate at the base, often folded, serrate or serrate-crenate but sometimes so shallowly so as to appear ± entire or only remotely denticulate; venation occasionally strongly raised and reticulate in mature leaves; petioles 0–10 cm. long; stipules lanceolate, 2.5–4 cm. long, 0.8–1 cm. wide, ciliate.. Cymes lax, terminal, usually with 3 main branches each again branched, up to 30 cm. wide; peduncle to 25 cm. long and pedicels 3–6 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles subulate, ± 2 mm. long, deciduous.. Buds oblong-cylindric, ± 3 mm. long, constricted just above the middle.. Calyx 0.5 mm. long, entire or shallowly lobed.. Petals greenish red, greenish yellow or whitish.. Ovary glabrous.. Disk crimson.. Fruits reddish purple turning blue-black or violet, or yellow, red or orange, often with a bloom, ellipsoid, 0.9–1 cm. (1.2 cm. in life) long, 4–7 mm. wide.. Seed usually 1, ellipsoid, 7 mm. long, 4 mm. wide; dorsal ridges well marked and with few transverse ridges.
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A herb that keeps growing from year to year. It is fleshy and grows 1.3 m high. It has a tuberous rootstock. The leaves have 3-5 leaflets. The leaflets are 30 cm long by 5 cm wide. There are teeth along the edges. The flowers are in 25 cm long groups at the top of the plant. The petals are greenish-red. The fruit is reddish-purple. It is 1 cm long by 0.6 cm wide. There is one seed 7 mm long by 4 mm wide. It has ridges along it.
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