This is a herbaceous Liana with a climbing stem up to 9 m long. Underground, long horizontal rhizomes develop, from the dormant buds of which new above-ground artificial or underground shoots arise.
The leaves are alternate deep-divided with a fine-spined edge, up to 20 cm in diameter, and sit on long petioles. Tendrils develop in the leaf axils.
Flowers are large, single, up to 7-9 cm in diameter, and sit on long peduncles with five sepals. Sepals are lanceolate, leathery, with spiny outgrowths at the top. The Corolla consists of five free petals and a `crown` consisting of two rings of thread-like fringes, as well as the petals, which are bright purple in color. This peculiar structure of the Corolla caused another name of the plant: `cavalier star`. The pistil is single, with three columns with stigmas extending from the ovary.
The fruit is a greenish-yellow berry that falls off when it Matures.
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