Ampelopsis glandulosa var. heterophylla ("Nobudo")

Japanese name: ノブドウ （野葡萄）
Scientific name: Ampelopsis glandulosa var. heterophylla

[Overview]
A deciduous climbing perennial growing in hills and fields, with the base of the vine becoming woody.
Young stems have coarse hairs, and at every node a forked tendril grows opposite the leaf.
Leaves are alternate, pentagonal-round, 6–12 cm long and 5–9 cm wide, usually 3–5-lobed, though they vary greatly.
The tips of the leaf lobes are pointed.
The leaves are thick, slightly glossy on the upper surface, with coarse hairs on the veins of the underside.
The leaf margin has coarse serrations.
The leaf stalk is about 2–6 cm long, but in long ones it is as long as the leaf.
Cymes arise opposite the leaves and bear many flowers.
The inflorescence has a stalk 1.5–3.5 cm long.
The stalk has coarse hairs.
The flowers are pale green, about 3 mm across, usually with 5 petals and rarely 4.
The fruit is a spherical berry 6–8 mm across that ripens from pale greenish white through purple to blue, but galls form on it from parasitic insects (Budo-tamabae and Budo-togaribachi).

[History]
It is naturalized in North America.

[Uses]
The roots, stems and leaves are used medicinally; as crude drugs, the root is called 蛇葡萄根 and the stems and leaves are called 蛇葡萄.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It is hardy and easy to grow.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
It is not suited to very fertile soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the garden, watering is not particularly necessary.
Fertilizing is not particularly necessary.
If pruning, do so from December to February.

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