A scrambling perennial, hardy to 23F with a heat and width up to 3 feet with branching, dark purple stems. Solitary, slender, yellow-green flowers appear in the axils during summer, followed by globose capsules. Found in lowland meadows in China and Japan.
Seed is best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn.
Germination takes 1 - 3 months at 52 . Stored seed germinates better if it is stratified for 3 months at 37 . Divisions are taken in autumn. Root cuttings in winter. The ripe fruit is gathered in the autumn and dried in the sun.