Vigorous woody climber (vine) with smooth, shiny leaves, palmately compound; leaflets mostly three. Leaf margins coarsely and regularly toothed. Teeth sometimes reduced to hard points. Brown flowers in dense axillary clusters from August to November. Each flower has a large, four-lobed stigma which serves to distinguish it from Cissus species which have a small stigma (Jones and Gray). Fruit ellipsoid to obovoid, 15-20 mm long, blackish. Like the similar Native Grape Cissus antarctica the fruit’s tannins and alkaloids may produce an unpleasant scratchiness in the throat. Overall, not great bush tucker.
Photo: Robert Whyte
