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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
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Taxonomy

Notes:

Publishing author: J.P.Bronner Publication: Wilden Trauben Rheinthales: 16 (1857) 1857

Physical 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.^[1]

Distribution

Range and Population

Germany.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Zaehringia:

There are approximately 1 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: Z. nobilis

Members of the genus Yua:

There are approximately 3 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: Y. austroorientalis · Y. chinensis · Y. thomsonii

Bibliography

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

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Notes

Contributors:

• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15902980
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:957705-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1437408

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.