Species: Cyclea barbata
English Name: Hairy Cyclea
Chinese Name: 毛輪環藤
Family: Menispermaceae
Description:
Vines, herbaceous, to 5 m. Roots slightly fleshy, ?not tuberous. Young branches hispid. Petiole hispid, 1-5 cm; leaf blade conspicuously peltate, ± broadly triangular-ovate, 4-10 × 2.5-8 cm or more, papery or submembranous, abaxially puberulent to tomentose, margin densely hispid, adaxially hispid or sometimes subglabrous, base slightly emarginate or truncate, apex acutely acuminate or obtuse with a finely mucronate acumen, palmately 9- or 10(-12)-veined. Inflorescences axillary or cauliflorous. Male inflorescences paniculate, broad and large, 7-30 × (0.5-)4-12 cm, puberulent, flowers condensed to capitate, interruptedly borne on branches. Male flowers: pedicels conspicuous; calyx cupular, 1.5-2 mm, hispid, lobes 4 or 5, ca. 1/2 length of tube; corolla cup-shaped (turbinate), ca. 0.7 mm, apex subtruncate; synandrium slightly exserted. Female inflorescences pendulous, narrowly racemelike paniculate. Female flowers sessile; sepals 2, slightly unequal, obovate to rhombic, ca. 0.4 mm, pilose on outer surface; petals 2, reniform, ca. 0.5 × 1 mm, glabrous; ovary densely hispid, stigma 3-laciniate. Drupes red, obliquely obovate to rotund, puberulent; endocarp ca. 3 mm, abaxially bearing 3 rows of papillate tubercles, row bordering condyle not very conspicuous. Fl. autumn, fr. summer.
Photos used under a Creative Commons license
References:
Wu ZY, Raven PH, Hong DY (eds) (2008). Flora of China, Volume 7: Menispermaceae through Capparaceae. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Bot Garden Press, St. Louis