Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial herbs or subshrubs.

Stems: Stems scandent or prostrate, with ascending lateral branches, usually glabrous.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades broadly ovate to ovate–oblong, (4–)8–12 cm long, 3–6 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base truncate-cuneate. Surfaces glabrous or with a few fleshy hairs on nerves of lower surface. Margins entire. Petioles 1.5–2 cm long. Stipules present as an ocreae, membranous, 10–20 mm long, glabrous, apex obliquely truncate.

Flowers: Flowers 10–20 in terminal, subglobose spikes, these cymose or paniculate. Peduncles usually sparsely glandular pubescent. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Tepals (4)5(6), usually petaloid, persistent, white or rarely somewhat pinkish, 3–4 mm long, enlarging and becoming fleshy and dark purple or bluish in fruit. Stamens 3–9, but usually 5, exserted or included; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, (2)3(4)-carpellate, 1-celled; ovule 1; styles 2–3, distinct or connate basally, deciduous; stigmas capitate or rarely fimbriate, dry.

Fruit: Nuts dull black; trigonous; protruding up to ca. ½ its length from or completely enclosed by the persistent tepals; 3–4 mm long.

Ploidy: 2n = 22; 26; 32

Habitat: Agricultural lands and disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: 60–520 m.