Ampelocissus Planchon, nom. cons

Climbing shrubs; branches terete, angled or sometimes flattened, hairy or glabrous. Leaves simple to pedately or digitately 3-9-foliolate, petiolate, densely hairy to glabrous; leaflets petiolulate, the terminal the largest; stipules deltate, inconspicuous, caducous. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, pedunculate, cirrhiferous cymes, thyrses or paniculate spikes. Flowers bisexual. Calyx Cupular or saucer-shaped, entire or obscurely lobed. Petals 5, free, oblong to ovate-oblong. Stamens 5; filaments short. Disc angular, adnate to ovary, often 5-10-grooved. Ovary usually 10-grooved; style short or absent; stigma minute or discoid. Berries moderately pulpy, 1-4-seeded. Seeds obovate to elliptic-oblong or suborbicular in outline, adaxial surface flattened or angular; raphe linear, somewhat ridged with a parallel wide shallow groove on either side, abaxial surface usually convex; chalazal knot somewhat spatulate in the shallow depression; endosperm T-shaped in cross-section.

Chiefly in tropical Asia and Africa, extending to C. America, Australia and Papua New Guinea; ca 100 species, 10 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves simple, sometimes angled, lobed or deeply partite

2

b. Leaves pedately 3-9-foliolate

9

2a. Vines glabrous, young parts and inflorescences sometimes pubescent

3

b. Vines woolly or rufous-hairy

4

3a. Leaves orbicular-ovate, neither angled nor lobed; inflorescences umbellate cymes; calyx 5-notched; seeds ellipsoid-obovoid, ca 5 x 2.5 mm

8. Ampelocissus sikkimensis

b. Leaves 3-7-angled or lobed; inflorescences pyramidal-thyrsoid; calyx truncate; seeds elliptic-oblong in outline, 6-7 x 4-5 mm

6. Ampelocissus latifolia

4a. Calyx woolly-tomentose

5

b. Calyx glabrous, puberulous or rarely pubescent, never woolly

6

5a. Inflorescences dichotomous, umbellate cymes; tendrils branched; disc restricted to lower half of ovary

9. Ampelocissus tomentosa

b. Inflorescences paniculate cymes; tendrils simple; disc covering most of ovary, prominent

10. Ampelocissus wightiana

6a. Young parts, peduncles and petioles with stiff brown or blackish, 1-2.5 mm long glandular-hairs

2. Ampelocissus barbata

b. Glandular-hairs absent

7

7a. Inflorescences cylindrical, compact, umbellate-racemose; tendrils simple

5. Ampelocissus indica

b. Inflorescences divaricate or dichotomous, umbellate-cymose; tendrils branched

8

8a. Leaves.wneate-cordate at base with the basal pair of lateral nerves bordering the sinus; seeds with a deep circular pit on the abaxial surface

7. Ampelocissus rugosa

b. Leaves deep-cordate at base, not bordered by the basal pair of lateral nerves; seeds with a shallow elliptic or circular pit on the abaxial surface

1. Ampelocissus araneosa

19a. Inflorescences racemes of spikes; tendrils simple; flowers sessile; leaves 5-7-foliolate

4. Ampelocissus helferi

b. Inflorescences dichotomous, umbellate-cymose; tendrils branched; tlowen pedicellate; leaves 3-5-foliolate

10

10a. Ovary puberulous; style short

1. Ampelocissus araneosa

b. Ovary glabrous; style absent

3. Ampelocissus divaricata

List of Lower Taxa