Coprosmanthus oldhamii (Miquel) Masamune; Smilax formosana (Hayata) Hayata; S. herbacea Linnaeus var. oldhamii (Miquel) Maximowicz; S. nebelii Gilg; S. oldhamii Miquel; S. sieboldii var. formosana Hayata; S. sieboldii f. inermis (Nakai) H. Hara; S. sieboldii var. inermis Nakai.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, subterete, 1--2 m, ± woody; stem and branches with scattered, blackish, needlelike prickles. Petiole 1--2 cm, narrowly winged for ca. 1/2 its length; abscission zone distal; tendrils well developed. Leaf blade ovate to broadly so, 3--9 × 2--5(--8) cm, herbaceous. Inflorescence of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle slender, 1--2.5 cm, subequaling or longer than petiole; umbels of both sexes usually 3--8-flowered, base scarcely thickened. Male flowers: tepals yellowish green, 4--5 × 1.2--1.4 mm, inner ones slightly narrower than outer; stamens 2--3 mm. Female flowers: tepals smaller than male ones; staminodes 6. Berries blue-black, globose, 6--7 mm in diam. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Oct.

Forests, thickets, grassy slopes; near sea level to 1800(--2500) m. Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea].