Woody vines, to more than 20 m. Old stems gray, bark irregularly and longitudinally striate. Branches terete, regularly striate, puberulent to glabrous. Petiole 5-15 cm, striate, glabrous or puberulent; leaf blade cordate-ovate to broadly ovate, sometimes (3-)5-9-lobed, 6-15 cm or longer, leathery to papery, tomentose when young, or only glabrous adaxially and puberulent abaxially, usually glabrous when old, base often deeply cordate with narrow sinus, sometimes subtruncate or rounded, margin entire, lobes pointed or obtuse, apex acuminate or mucronate, palmately [3-]5(-7)-veined, reticulation conspicuously prominent abaxially. Inflorescences axillary, lax conical panicles, to 30 cm, usually shorter than 20 cm; rachis puberulent or tomentose; bracts linear-lanceolate. Male flowers: bracteoles 2, closely adnate to sepals; sepals yellowish green, abaxially puberulent, outer whorl oblong, 2-2.5 mm, inner whorl subovate, subequal to outer whorl; petals slightly fleshy, 0.7-1 mm; stamen 1.6-2 mm. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male flower; staminodes filamentous; carpels glabrous. Drupes red to dark purple or blue-black, 5-6 mm in diam. or slightly larger. Fl. summer, fr. autumn.
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A woody vine. It can be 20 m long. The old stem are grey. The bark has irregular stripes along it. The leaf stalks are 5-15 cm long. The blade is leathery to papery. It is oval and 6-15 cm long and tapers to the tip. There can be 5-9 lobes. These are pointed. Leaves have 5 veins spreading out from the base. The flowering stalk is 20-30 cm long. Male and female flowers and plants are separate. The fruit is fleshy with a hard stone inside. It is red to purple. It is 5-6 mm across.
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