Tetrastigma obtectum (Wallieh ex M. Lawson) Planchon ex Franch. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 33: 458. 1886. Vitis obtecta Wallich ex M. Lawson in Fl. Brit. India 1: 657. 1875.

Climbing or creeping, herbaceous vines; branches slender, sometimes with adventitious roots at nodes, soft-villous; tendrils slender, branched. Leaves 5-foliolate; petioles 3-10 cm long, villous; stipules broadly triangular, ca 6 x 4 mm, membranous, glabrous; tenninal leaflets subsessile to shortly petiolulate, elliptic to obovate, 5-8 x 2-3.5 cm, acute at apex, attenuate at base, cuspidate- serrate at m.argins; lateral leaflets 2.5-6 x 1.5-3 cm, oblique at base, otherwise as in terminal leaflets. Inflorescences umbellate cymes, ca 5 cm long, pubescent; peduncles 2-3.5 cm long. Flowers ca 2.5 mm long; pedicels 3-6 mm long. Calyx cupular, ciliate at margin. Petals oblong-ovate, 2-2.5 x 1-1.2 mm, slightly hooded. Stamens ca 2 mm long. Disc ring shaped, encircling base of ovary. Ovary conical, ca 1.5 mm across, glabrous; style obscure; stigma 4-lobed. Seeds transversely rugose, ca 7 x 5 mm.

Fl. & Fr. : May - Nov.

Distrib. India: Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

Nepal, Bhutan and China (Yunnan).