Cissus verticillata

Native to tropical and subtropical America, this woody climbing vine uses tendrils opposite its leaves to attach to surrounding vegetation. Its young stems are herbaceous, becoming woody with age. The simple, alternate leaves are broadly oval to oblong, with pointed tips and toothed margins; their shape and hairiness vary. Branched clusters bear tiny greenish-white to pale yellow flowers with four petals and four stamens. The petals fall soon after the flowers open. Small berries mature from green to black and usually contain one seed. In Panama, plants can flower more than once a year and carry fruit from an earlier flowering while blooming again. Its stems have been used for basketry in Colombia. Photographed in Peru.