Sausage Vine is a vigorous, woody, evergreen climber, native to the Himalayas. Branches are prominently channelled. Leaves are palmately compound, with 3-9 elliptic or oblong-ovate leaflets, 4-10 cm long. In spring, it bears small clusters of very heavily scented, white or purplish, bell-shaped flowers. Flowers are very sweetly scented. They are borne in racemes in leaf axils. Fruit is reddish purple at maturity, irregularly sausage-shaped, 5-7 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Ripe fruits are eaten fresh. Sausage Vine is found in forests, shrubberies and shady ravined of the Himalayas, from Pakistan to SW China, at altitudes of 1500-4000 m. Flowering: April-May.