Vines, herbaceous, perennial; stems to 3.5 m, quadrangular, glabrous, aculeolate on ribs. Leaves in whorls of 4-10(-12); petiole 2-11 cm, aculeolate; blade drying thinly membranous or papery, brown-black or blackish green, ovate to suborbicular, 3-11 × 2-9 cm, length/breadth index 1.2-1.5, both surfaces glabrous, scaberulous on lamina and aculeolate on principal veins, base cordulate to cordate, margins aculeolate, apex acuminate to caudate-cuspidate; principal veins 5 or 7, palmate. Inflorescences thyrsoid, with terminal and axillary, several-to many-flowered cymes; axes slender, glabrous, scaberulous; bracts lacking or linear to lanceolate-linear, 1-5 mm; pedicels 1-7 mm. Ovary ca. 0.8 mm, smooth. Corolla greenish, rotate to slightly patelliform, glabrous, fused basal part 0.4-0.6 mm; lobes triangular, 1-1.5 mm, acuminate. Mericarp berry black, 5-10 mm in diam., with pedicels elongating, to 15 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep-Oct.
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