Tendriled climbing vine, becoming woody; stems to 7 cm diam, usually angulate, sometimes bearing 2-sided, narrow, peltate scales. Leaves trifoliolate; stipules (on youngest stems) broadly ovate, to 4 mm. long; petioles 2-4.5 (6) cm long; leaflets velutinous especially on veins below with appressed, long, flattened, T-shaped trichomes on veins, the major veins crisped-villous at least near tufted axils, the margins obscurely mucronate-serrate, the terminal leaflet broadly elliptic to ovate-elliptic, acuminate' cuneate at base, 4-10 cm long, 1.5-5.5 cm wide, the lateral leaflets somewhat smaller and inequilateral. Cymes corymbiform., umbellate, 3-8 cm long; peduncles 6-18 mm long; inflorescence branches reddish, moderately pubescent, the pedicels and branches of the inflorescence with long, flattened, T-shaped trichomes; pedicels to 4 mm long; flowers 4-parted, red; calyx cupular, nearly truncate, minute; corolla ca 1.5 mm. long, the lobes ovate, valvate; stamens 4; pistil 1-1.5 mm. long. Fruits obovoid, 7-9 mm long, green to orange at maturity; seed usually 1, pyriform, to 7 mm. long. Croat 6396, 11890. Mexico to Brazil; Greater Antilles. In Panama, known from tropical moist forest all along the Atlantic slope and in the Canal Zone, Veraguas, Herrera, and Panama and from premontane wet forest in the Canal Zone, Coclé, and Panama.