BotanyType: fern; evergreen; climbing or scrambling; forming dense, compact thickets, covering other vegetation; 3 m tall.
Stems: 3, up to 8 meters long; dense branches.
Leaves: closely placed.
Use: medicine; weaving material.
Region: south America, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia; Central America, Panama to Costa Rica.
Habitat: lowland forests, rain forests, secondary forests, disturbed areas; at elevations from 30 to 760 meters