Smilax chingii var. papillosifolia J. M. Xu; S. megalantha C. H. Wright var. ferruginea F. T. Wang; S. megalantha var. maclurei Merrill.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, terete, 1--7 m, woody, sparsely prickly. Petiole 0.5--2 cm, winged; wings 3--10 × 2--3 mm; abscission zone just above winged portion; tendrils usually absent. Leaf blade ovate-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 5--18 × 1.5--7(--11) cm, abaxially brownish or white pubescent. Inflorescence borne in axil of young leaf on new branchlets, of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle 0.5--3 cm, occasionally articulate; umbels of both sexes several flowered, usually slightly racemose due to elongate base, base thickened, 2--4 × 1--2 mm; bracteoles present. Male flowers: tepals 7--8 × 3.5--4 mm. Female flowers: tepals slightly smaller than male ones; staminodes 6. Berries red, globose, 1--1.4 cm in diam. Fl. Mar--Apr, fr. Nov--Dec.

* Forests, thickets, grassy slopes, shaded places along valleys or streams; 700--1600(--2800) m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.