Merremia vine

Merremia peltata

Merremia peltata is a coarse climbing vine with underground tubers (FAO Technical Bulletin). Its stems are smooth and twine at the tips; they may be up to 20 metres long. Leaves are simple, alternate with purple veins beneath; leaf margins are waxy. White funnel shaped flowers are borne in clusters on stalks 15-30cm long (FAO Technical Bulletin). Leaves broadly cordate to orbicular, peltately attached, obtuse in general outline but very shortly and abruptly acuminate, strongly nerved; peduncles with a paniculate cyme of as many as 13 or more flowers; sepals glabrous, strongly concave or somewhat ventricose, to 2cm long, obtuse, only slightly accrescent but becoming very firm and hard in fruit; corolla white or yellow, 5-6cm long, ribs slightly glandular-puberulent without, broadly campanulate funnelform; capsule about 15mm long, splitting into many lanceolate valves; seeds dull brown, densely long-pilose. Both yellow and white-flowered forms are known