Tetrastigma alatum

Description

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.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.

Genus Tetrastigma

Climbers , woody, rarely herbaceous, usually polygamo-dioecious . Tendrils unbranched or bifurcate , sometimes palmately branched. Leaves usually palmately 3-5-foliolate or pedately 5-7-foliolate, rarely simple . Inflorescence a polychasium , an umbel, or a compound cyme. Flowers 4-merous. Petals spreading , free , usually hooded or galeate , sometimes corniculate . Stamens short, abortive in female flowers. Disk well developed in male flowers, inconspicuous in female flowers. Style conspicuous or inconspicuous; stigma usually 4-divided, rarely irregularly divided . Berry globose , ellipsoid , or obovoid , 1-4-seeded. Seed elliptic , obovoid-elliptic, or obtriangular, abaxial surface with a linear to orbicular chalazal knot , adaxial surface with a linear raphe; cross-section of endosperm T- or M-shaped.

About 100 species: Asia to Oceania; 44 species (24 endemic) in China.Hui Ren & Jun Wen "Tetrastigma". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 173, 195. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Infraphylum: Radiatopses () - Kenrick & Crane, 1997
        Class: Magnoliopsida () - Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Rosidae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Vitanae () - Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
        Order: Vitales () - Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1996
        Family: Vitaceae () - Durande, 1782, Nom. Cons. - Grape Family
        Genus: Tetrastigma () - (Miquel) Planchon in A. Candolle & C. Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 5: 320, 423. - Tetrastigma
        Specific epithet: alatum - H.L.Li
        Botanical name: - Tetrastigma alatum H.L.Li

Notes

Publishing author : Li Publication : Woody Fl. Taiwan, 528 (1963).

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Tetrastigma

There are approximately 158 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

T. acuminata · T. affine · T. alatum · T. andamanicum · T. annamense · T. apiculatum · T. apiculatum var. pubescens · T. articulatum · T. backanense · T. beauvaisii · T. benguetense · T. biswasiana · T. bracteolatum · T. burmanicum · T. cambodianum · T. campylocarpum · T. canarense · T. caudatum · T. cauliflorum · T. cayratifolia · T. ceratopetalum · T. chandleri · T. chapaense · T. chapaensis · T. coriaceum · T. corniculatum · T. crassipes · T. crenatum · T. cruciatum · T. delavayi · T. dentatum · T. dichotomum · T. diepenhorstii · T. dubium · T. eberhardtii · T. ellipticum · T. erubescens · T. everettii · T. formosanum · T. funingense · T. gamblei · T. garrettii · T. gaudichaudianum · T. gibbosum · T. gilgianum · T. glabratum · T. godefroyanum · T. hainanense · T. harmandi · T. harmandii · T. hemsleyanum · T. henryi · T. henryi var. mollifolium · T. heterophyllum · T. hookeri · T. hypoglaucum · T. hypoglaucum var. puberulum · T. indicum · T. jaichagunii · T. jingdongensis · T. jinghongense · T. jinxiuense · T. kwangsiense · T. laevigatum · T. lagunense · T. lanceolarium · T. laoticum · T. lauterbachianum · T. lawsonii · T. lenticellatum · T. leucostaphyllum · T. leucostaphylum · T. lincangense · T. lineare · T. littorale · T. liukiuense · T. lobata · T. loheri · T. longipedunculatum · T. lunglingense · T. macrocorymbum · T. magnum · T. megacarpum · T. megalocarpum · T. membranacea · T. membranaceum · T. merrillii · T. merrittii · T. mindanaense · T. muricatum · T. napaulense · T. napaulense var. puberulum · T. nilagiricum · T. nitens · T. nitens var. amaliae · T. nitens var. nitens · T. obovatum · T. obtectum · T. obtectum dichotomum · T. obtectum subsp. dichotomum

Bibliography

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Li Chaoluan. 1998. Vitaceae (excluding Leea). In: Li Chaoluan, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 48(2): ii-vii, 1-3, 12-208.
Li Chaoluan. 1998. Vitaceae (excluding Leea). In: Li Chaoluan, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 48(2): ii-vii, 1-3, 12-208.