Cyclea Arn. ex Wight

Climbing shrubs. Leaves peltate or not, palmately nerved. Inflorescences axillary or often cauliflorous, racemose or thyrsoid-paniculate. Male flowers: sepals 4 or 5, free or connate, 4- to 5-lobed; petals 4, free or connate into a cup or rarely 0; stamens 4 or 5, connate into a peltate synandrium; anthers dehiscing transversely. Female flowers: sepals 1 or 2; petals 1 or 2, rarely O. Carpel 1; style short; stigma 3-fid. Drupes obovoid, curved, with 6 rows of tubercles. Seeds curved; embryo narrow, terete, embedded in endosperm.

India, Central and South China, Indo-china, Thailand to Malesia; ca 29 species, 8 species in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Flowers without bracts and bracteoles

2

b. Flowers with bracts and bracteoles

3

2a. Petioles 3 - 6 cm long; male inflorescence up to 18 cm long; calyx in male flowers tubular, 4-toothed; petals subcampanulate, 4-lobed

7. Cyclea pendulina

b. Petioles 5 - 10 cm long; male inflorescence ca 8 cm long; calyx in male flowers campanulate, 4-lobed with narrow ovate lobes; petals free

5. Cyclea meeboldii

3a Leaves ciliate or hispid along margins

4

b. Leaves glabrous along margins

5

4a. Sepals in male flowers puberulous inside; synandrium 1.5 - 2 mm long; petals 2 in female flower; ovary ellipsoid; drupes obliquely ovoid or rounded, puberulous

1. Cyclea barbata

b. Sepals in male flowers pilose inside; synandrium 1 - 1.5 mm long; petal one in female flowers; ovary oblongoid; drupes ovoid, pilose

4. Cyclea fissicalyx

5a Petals absent

2. Cyclea bicristata

b. Petals present

6

6a Bracts foliaceous; sepals free

8. Cyclea wattii

b. Bracts linear to lanceolate; sepals connate

7

7a. Petioles 1 - 2.5 cm long; cymes subsessile; calyx glabrous in male flowers; synandrium exserted

3. Cyclea debiliflora

b. Petioles 2·5 cm long; cymes peduncled; calyx pilose in male flowers; synandrium included

6. Cyclea peltata

List of Lower Taxa