Size: vine, 5-18' average height at maturity
Buds: small, ovoid or flattened, solitary, 1-3 pairs, exposed hairy scales
Leaves: deciduous, climbs by wrapping leaf petioles around branches, opposite, pinnately compound, each leaflet ovate, acute, entire margins, bright green to blue-green
Flowers: monoescious,violet-purple, 4-7" wide, 4-6 sepals, bloom from June to frost
Fruit: cluster of achenes with long silk-haired persistent styles
Bark: red-brown, nearly glabrous, usually with 6 ridges
