Vitaceae
Cissus

Cissus quinquangularis Chiov.

First published in Fl. Somala 2: 142 (1932)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Somalia to SE. Kenya. It is a climbing succulent and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Vitaceae, Bernard Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993

Morphology General Habit
A succulent climbing plant 2–several m. long; root-tubers absent; all but oldest stems slender, 2.5–4 mm. wide in dry state, 5-angled, the angles brown or ± purple, horny, sharp; older stems to 1.2 cm. wide, more obtusely angled, glabrous; nodes slightly constricted; internodes 2.5–6 cm. long, 0.4–1.3 cm. wide; tendrils simple.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ± persistent, fleshy and snapping easily when folded, elliptic to distinctly ovate-triangular, 2–9 cm. long, 1–6 cm. wide, rounded to acute at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, not lobed but ± coarsely dentate, glabrous, sometimes ± tuberculate (? abnormal); petiole 0.5–1.4(–4) cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences with peduncles and secondary axes 1–2.5 cm. long; pedicels 4–8 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 2.2 mm. wide, entire or ± 4-angled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-bud ovoid, 2.5 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits ± elongate when young, later ± globose, ± 8 mm. in diameter, ± rugose-tuberculate when fresh, less obvious when dry.
Habitat
Trachylobium, Cynometra, Combretum schumannii, Tamarindus forest, Brachystegia spiciformis woodland, grassland with scattered trees (habitats moist for entire year); mostly in soil pockets on limestone outcrops; 0–300 m.
Distribution
K7
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Type
S2, between “Merca” and “Genale”, Guidotti s.n. (FT syn.), S3, “Alessandra”, Tozzi 404 (FT syn., K isosyn.)
Morphology General Habit
Succulent climber to several m long
Morphology Stem
Stems 5-angled, up to 1.2 cm wide, with reddish or brownish edges, glabrous; internodes 2.5–6 cm long
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ± persistent, fleshy, glabrous; petiole 2–20(–40) mm long; blade elliptic to ovate-triangular, 1–9 x 0.7–6 cm, cuneate to rounded at the base, rounded to acute at the apex, dentate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in 1–2.5 cm long inflorescences; peduncle c. 1 cm long; pedicels 2.5–8 mm long, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 2.5 mm long, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits ± globose, c. 8 mm in diam., ± rugose-tuberculate when fresh.
Distribution
S1–3; E Kenya
Ecology
Altitude range 30–470 m.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0