Japanese name: アマヅル（甘蔓） Scientific name:Vitis saccharifera var. saccharifera
[Overview]
A deciduous woody vine growing at forest edges in the mountains.
Leaves are simple and alternate. On flowering branches they are triangular-ovate, 4–7 cm both long and wide, becoming broader toward the base of the branch, and somewhat thick.
Leaves on young plants and young branches are sometimes 3–5-lobed.
The upper surface is glabrous and slightly glossy, except for short hairs on the midrib.
The underside at first has reddish-brown cobwebby hairs on the veins and in the vein axils, but later these remain only in the axils, and the surface is glossy.
The leaf margin has shallow, wavy teeth, each tipped with a small projection that curves inward.
The petiole is 1.5–4 cm long.
The leaves turn red in autumn.
Tendrils are produced opposite the leaves.
The plant is dioecious.
Conical cymes, 4–6 cm long including the stalk and 2–3 cm wide, are produced opposite the leaves.
The flowers are small and yellowish green, with 5 petals that are fused at the top and fall off like a hat being taken off when the flower opens.
The fruit is a spherical berry about 0.6 cm across, ripening black and edible.
