Shrubs, erect to sprawling or clambering, 1.5–8 m. Stems zigzag, glabrous. Leaves persistent; petiole 7–17 mm; blade ovate to broadly ovate, 4–8 cm, herbaceous, base obtuse to rounded or subcordate, margins crenate-serrate, teeth 10–30 per side, apex acuminate, glabrous or glabrate on both surfaces; 3-veined from base, distal secondary veins 1–2(–4) pairs, arcuate. Inflorescences thyrses, 2–7-flowered, or flowers solitary; peduncles (0–)1 mm; fruiting pedicels 4–6 mm. Capsules 7–8 mm.

Flowering year-round. Disturbed fill, roadside thickets, fencerows, hammocks, shell mounds, limestone ridges, mangrove thickets, beach strands; 0–10 m; introduced; Fla.; s, se Asia; Pacific Islands (Philippines); introduced also in West Indies, Africa, elsewhere in Pacific Islands, Australia.