Erect clonal shrub to 2 m high, dark green, pubescent with stellate and minute glandular hairs; hairs sparse on upper leaf-surface, dense on lower surface; prickles to 15 mm long, abundant on stems, petioles and lower peduncle, usually less common elsewhere. Leaves mostly discolorous, variable; lower, deeply lobed leaves ovate, the lamina 10–20 cm long, 6–15 cm wide; petiole to 8 cm long; upper, entire to shallowly lobed leaves elliptic-lanceolate, the lamina mostly 6–9 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, sometimes larger; petiole to 3 cm long. Inflorescence 5–30–flowered; peduncle 1.5–6 cm long to first fork; rachis often branched, to 5 cm long; pedicels 3–10 mm long. Calyx 4–7 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular, 2–3 mm long. Corolla stellate, deeply incised, 1–2 cm diam., bluish-purple. Anthers 3–4.5 mm long. Berry globular, 8–12 mm diam., dark red to black. Seeds 2–2.5 mm long, pale brown.
Common on rainforest margins, along creek banks in vine and wet sclerophyll forests, often in basaltic soils.
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