Plants high climbing, sparsely branched. Branches: bark exfoliating in shreds; nodal diaphragms 2.5–4 mm thick; branchlets uniformly red, purplish red, or chestnut, subterete, glabrous or very sparsely arachnoid, growing tips not enveloped by unfolding leaves; tendrils red-pigmented when young, along length of branchlets, persistent, branched, tendrils (or inflorescences) at only 2 consecutive nodes; nodes not red-banded. Leaves: stipules 1.5–3 mm; petiole somewhat shorter than blade; blade usually cordate, 8–14 cm, usually deeply 3(–5)-lobed, apex long acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, glabrous, visible, veins and vein axils sometimes hirtellous, adaxial surface glabrous. Inflorescences 6–18 cm. Flowers functionally unisexual. Berries bluish black to black, slightly or not glaucous, globose, 8–10 mm diam., skin separating from pulp; lenticels absent. 2n = 38.