Woody climber with pinkish purple new growth and tendrils with 5-10 branches, the tips expanded into sucker-like disks. Leaves of 5 palmately compound leaflets each to 10 cm long and with long-pointed tips, bright red in autumn; margins with large, regular teeth; lower surface more or less waxy. Flowers with green petals; late spring to summer. Fruit 3-5 mm wide, blue-black.

Naturalised in the Sydney region. P. tricuspidata Planch., Boston Ivy (Japanese Ivy), is used in similar situations but has the distinctive 3 lobes or leaflets; the cultivar 'Veitchii' has smaller leaflets that are purple at first and simple or with scalloped margins.

NE USA to Mexico.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Vitaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.