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Cissus repens

(Cissus)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Cissus

Common Names in Informal Latinized N:

Cissus

Description

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Family Vitaceae

Woody climbers , sometimes vines , rarely small succulent trees , hermaphroditic or polygamo-monoecious to polygamo-dioecious . Stems unarmed , sometimes with conspicuous lenticels , or bark sometimes shredding (in most species of Vitis) ; branches often swollen at 3-7-lacunar nodes; pith continuous or interrupted by diaphragms at nodes; tendrils simple , bifurcate to trifurcate , or 4-12-branched (in Parthenocissus), usually leaf-opposed, rarely tendrils absent. Raphide sacs present in parenchymatous tissues . Leaves simple, lobed or unlobed, or digitately or pedately compound to 1-3-pinnately compound, alternate, distichous, variously toothed , commonly with multicellular , stalked , caducous spherical structures known as "pearl" glands ; stipules 2 or rarely absent, often caducous. Flowers small, with prophylls, in panicles, corymbs, or rarely spikes, often leaf-opposite, pseudo-terminal , or axillary (in Cayratia and Tetrastigma), actinomorphic , hypogynous, 4- or 5(-7 as in Rhoicissus) -merous. Calyx with 4 or 5(-7) small teeth or lobes or a continuous ring. Petals valvate , 4 or 5(-7), free or basally connate , or distally connate forming a calyptra (e.g. , in Vitis) . Stamens 4 or 5(-7), antepetalous ; anthers introrse , dehiscing longitudinally, tetrasporangiate or rarely bisporangiate . Floral disk intrastaminal , ring-shaped, cupular, or gland-shaped. Ovary superior, 2-loculed; ovules 2 per locule; placentation axile , appearing nearly basal, apotropous or anatropous , bitegmic, crassinucellar; style simple, connate; stigma discoid or capitate, rarely 4-lobed (Tetrastigma), not papillate . Fruit a berry, 1-4-seeded. Seeds endotestal, with an abaxial chalazal knot and an adaxial raphe with 2 furrows , one on each side; embryo straight, small; endosperm oily, proteinaceous, copious , ruminate .

About 14 genera and ca. 900 species: worldwide, but mostly in tropical and subtropical regions; eight genera and 146 species (87 endemic, two introduced ) in China.

The family is important for grapes, wine, and raisins (especially Vitis vinifera, and several other species and hybrids of Vitis) . There are a few ornamental climbers in the genera Ampelopsis, Cissus, Parthenocissus, and Tetrastigma, of which Parthenocissus tricuspidata of China and Japan and P. quinquefolia of eastern North America are well-known examples. Some plants (e.g., Ampelopsis japonica, Cissus quadrangularis, and Tetrastigma hemsleyanum) are highly regarded medicines.[1]

Genus Cissus

Lianas, woody or subwoody, hermaphroditic or polygamo-monoecious . Tendrils unbranched or bifurcate , sometimes racemosely branched. Leaves simple or palmately compound . Inflorescence a compound dichasium or an umbel, leaf-opposed. Flowers 4-merous. Calyx cupular, glabrous . Petals falling off separately. Stamens 4. Disk well developed, margin undulate or slightly 4-lobed. Style conspicuous ; stigma undivided or 2-divided. Berry obovoid or ellipsoid , 1- or 2-seeded. Seeds obovoid-elliptic or elliptic , base rostrate , apex rounded , chalazal knot at or near base; cross-section of endosperm M-shaped.

About 350 species: mainly in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, and North America (Mexico) ; 15 species (two endemic) in China.[2]

Physical Description

Species Cissus repens

Vines , herbaceous. Branchlets terete , with longitudinal ridges , usually glaucous, glabrous ; tendrils bifurcate . Leaves simple ; stipules brownish, oblong , 5-6 × 2-3 mm, membranous, glabrous; petiole 2.5-7 cm, glabrous; leaf blade cordate-oval, 5-13 × 4-9 cm, glabrous, basal veins 3-5, lateral veins 3 or 4 pairs, veinlets inconspicuous, base cordate, margin with 9-12 sharp teeth on each side, apex acute or acuminate. Inflorescence umbelliform, terminal or leaf-opposed; peduncle 1-3 cm, glabrous. Pedicel 2-4 mm, nearly glabrous. Buds oval , ca. 4 mm, apex obtuse . Calyx entire or undulate . Petals triangular-ovate, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Anthers ovoid-elliptic. Lower part of ovary adnate to disk; style conical ; stigma slightly expanded. Berry 0.8-1.2 cm × 4-8 mm, 1-seeded. Seed surface smooth , with sparse ribs . Fl. Jul-Oct, fr. Nov-May of following year. 2n = 22, 24. [source]

Habitat

Forests in valleys, shrublands on hillsides; 100-1800 m [3].

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

C. glauca Roxburgh • C. repens var. sinensis Handel-Mazzetti • Cissus cordata Roxburgh • Vitis repens (Lamarck) Wight & Arnott. • Vitis vitiginea Kuntze var. repens Kuntze • Vitis Vitiginea Repens

Notes

Publishing author : Lam. Publication : Encyclop?die M?thodique, Botanique 1 1783 (2 Dec. 1783)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Cissus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 24 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. antarctica (Kangaroo Ivy) · C. brevipedunculata (Amur Peppervine) · C. discolor (Painted Cissus) · C. erosa (Caro De Tres Hojas) · C. erosa erosa (Caro De Tres Hojas) · C. intermedia (Intermediate Treebine) · C. labrusca (Northern Fox Grape) · C. laciniata (Cut-Leaf Burr-Cucumber) · C. lanigera (Cissus) · C. nodosa (Javanese Treebine) · C. obovata (Spoonleaf Treebine) · C. quadrangularis (Veld Grape) · C. quadrangulus (Winged Treebine) · C. repens (Cissus) · C. rhombifolia (Grape Ivy) · C. rotundifolia (Arabian Wax Cissus) · C. striata (Miniature Grape Ivy) · C. trifolia (Threeleaf Cayratia) · C. trifoliata (Arizona Grape Ivy) · C. tuberculata (West Indian Treebine) · C. tuberosa (Cissus) · C. verticillata (Monkey Liana) · C. verticillata subsp. verticillata (Seasonvine) · C. vinifera (Wine Grape)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 02, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Prof. Zhiduan Chen, Hui Ren & Jun Wen "Vitaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 33, 115, 173. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Hui Ren & Jun Wen "Cissus". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 173, 184. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Cissus repens". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 185, 186. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012