a herb with woody base; stems twining, 1–6 ft. high, much branched, pubescent and armed with stinging bristles; leaves distinctly petioled, membranous, ovate, auriculate-subcordate and usually almost 3-lobate, central lobe generally elongated, acute, basal lobes rounded, sometimes triangular-ovate, with a shallow lateral sinus, base cordate, margin crenate-serrate, 1 1/2–2 1/2 in. long, 1 1/4–1 1/2 in. wide at the base, hispid or puberulous and sparingly bristly especially on the nerves of both surfaces; petiole 1 in. long, pubescent and sparingly bristly; stipules broadly lanceolate, spreading, pubescent and bristly, 1 1/2 lin. long; racemes lateral, leaf-opposed, peduncled, 1–2 in. long; peduncle hispid and sparingly bristly, with many male flowers above and usually 2 basal female flowers; male bracts ovate-anceolate, entire, about 1 lin. long, finely hispid; female bracts 2–3-lobed, ovate, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, hispid; pedicels in both sexes solitary to and shorter than their bracts; male calyx 3-partite; lobes ovate, obtuse; stamens 3; filaments longer than the anthers; female calyx 6-partite, 2-seriate; lobes pinnately 2–3-lacinulate on each side, rhachis accrescent, indurated in fruit, at length 1/4 in. long, of one series obovate, of the other series rather narrow-lanceolate; ovary hispid above; styles 3, united more than half-way in a distinct basal column, free above; capsule 3-coccous, 1/4 in. across; cocci subglobose, nearly glabrous; seeds globose. null
