Vines, herbaceous, to 3 m; stems quadrangular, glabrous, scaberulous to retrorsely aculeate along angles. Leaves opposite; petiole (1-)2-4(-8) cm, aculeolate; blade drying papery to subleathery, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 6-12 × (1.5-)3-6(-7.5) cm, glabrous on both surfaces, scaberulous and ± aculeolate on principal veins and margins, base cordate or rounded, apex acute or acuminate; principal veins 3-5(or 7), palmate, reticulate veinlets usually visible on both surfaces; stipules triangular, 3-5(-7) × 2-3 mm, persistent. Inflorescences thyrsoid, paniculiform, with axillary, many-flowered cymes; bracts reduced. Ovary ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Corolla greenish, campanulate, ca. 3 mm in diam.; tube ca. 1.25 mm; lobes linear-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm, acute. Fruit of 2 subglobose mericarp berries, 1 sometimes aborted, each 4-5 mm in diam., shiny and black when fresh. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Sep.
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