Cissampelos L.

Scandent shrubs or lianas. Leaves peltate or not. Male flowers in axillary, peduncled, corymbose cymes, solitary or fascicled; sepals 4, obovate; petals connate into a cup or nearly free; stamens connate into a peltate synandrium. Female flowers in elongate thyrsoid cymes or fascicled; bracts orbicular; sepal 1; petal 1 or 2 - 3; staminodes absent; carpel 1. Drupes curved, hairy; style-scar basal; endocarp with dorsal ridges in 2 rows. Seeds bent like horse-shoe; embryo elongate, terete; cotyledons flattened

Pantropical; ca 25 species, one in India.

List of Lower Taxa