Vitaceae
Cyphostemma

Cyphostemma crotalarioides (Planch.) Desc. ex Wild & R.B.Drumm.

First published in Fl. Zambes. 2: 466 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect usually sticky herb 0.45–1.5 m. tall from a tuberous rootstock; stems single, ± stout, ridged, tomentellous to densely pubescent and usually but not always with short gland-tipped hairs or ± sessile glands; tendrils absent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves drying ferruginous, sessile, digitately 3(–4)-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate or narrowly oblong-obovate to obovate, 8.5–25 cm. long, 1.7–8(–10.5) cm. wide, rounded or truncate at the apex, cuneate at the base, serrate or crenate, puberulous and with scattered short gland-tipped hairs or sessile glands above, densely pubescent or tomentose beneath and with scattered glands; venation closely reticulate beneath; petiolules 0–3 cm. long; stipules lanceolate or oblong-falcate, 0.8–1.5 cm. long, 1–6 mm. wide or triangular to 2.5 cm. long, 1 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes borne in upper axils, up to 6 cm. wide; peduncles to 4 cm. long, tomentose and with gland-tipped hairs or ± sessile glands; pedicels 2.5 mm. long, with similar indumentum; bracts and bracteoles linear, 2 mm. long, tomentose.
Morphology General Buds
Buds oblong-cylindric, 3 mm. long, slightly constricted above, densely pubescent and sometimes with short gland-tipped hairs, densest at apex but often lacking.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1.7 mm. wide, entire, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals greenish yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary glandular-pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit green to orange-red, red turning black-brown or blue, ellipsoid-globose, 0.7–1 cm. long, 6–8 mm. wide, densely pubescent and with gland-tipped hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds somewhat reniform, 8–9 mm. long, 5–6 mm. wide, without distinct ridges but prominently rugose (fide Wild & Drummond); in East African material ventral ridge is prominent but dorsal ones less so; 3–4 short transverse ridges.
Habitat
Grassland, Brachystegia woodland, grassland with scattered trees, valley forest/grass plateaux mosaics, often on rocky hillsides; 820–1800 m.
Distribution
T4 T5 T7 T8
[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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Ampelidaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb with stout underground stock, sending up each year branched fleshy stems, pinkish at the nodes, to 4 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers red in bud, yellow when open
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits grey
Ecology
In savannahwoodland.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images