Cocculus DC., nom. cons.

Climbing or erect herbs or shrubs or small trees. Leaves non-peltate, entire or lobed. Inflorescences cymose or thyrsoid. Male flowers: sepals 6 or 9 in 2 or 3 series, imbricate, the,outer ones smaller; petals 6, usually bifid at apex, auricled below; stamens 6 or 9, free. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male; staminodes 6 or absent; carpels 3 or 6; styles cylindrical, subulate, reflexed. Drupes curved, obovoid, or rotund in outline, slightly compressed laterally; style-scar near base; endocarp bony, often perforate on both sides, transversely ridged on dorsal sides. Seed curved almost into a ring. broad, dorsoventrally flattened; endosperm very thin; cotyledons liguliform.

N. & C. America, Africa, to S. China and Malesia; ca 8 species, 5 in India.

Notes. Ferguson (in Kew Bull. 29: 483 - 492, tt. 16 - 21. 1974) has studied the epidermal characters in this genus.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves strongly 5-nerved

2

b. Leaves strongly 3-nerved, sometimes with 2 obscure lateral nerves

3

2a. Leaves densely greyish tomentose to puberulous; flowers pale yellow; sepals pubescent; female inflorescences 0.5 - 2.5 cm long

1. Cocculus hirsutus

b. Leaves thinly puberulous to glabrous; flowers white; sepals glabrous; female inflorescences up to 5 cm long

3. Cocculus orbiculatus

3a. Scandent herbs or climbing or straggling shrubs; leaves 1.5 - 5 x 0.5 - 3 cm

4

b. Erect shrubs or small trees; leaves 7 - 11 (-15) x 3.9 - 5 .5 cm.

2. Cocculus laurifolius

4a. Petioles 2 - 10 mm long; leaves linear-oblong or narrow-elliptic; female inflorescences 0.7 - 1 .3 cm long

4. Cocculus pendulus

b. Petioles 15 - 25 mm long; leaves broadly ovate or elliptic; female inflorescences 1 - 5 cm long

5. Cocculus prainianus

List of Lower Taxa