Cissus


Cissus is a genus of 279 species of lianas in the grape family. Species are native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, tropical Asia, Papuasia, and Australia.

Description

Extrafloral nectaries on the stipule have been reported for C. microcarpa, C. psudosicyoids, and C. rhombifolia.

Uses

Medicinal

Cissus quadrangularis has been evaluated for potential medical uses. As a source of carotenoids, triterpenoids and ascorbic acid, the extracts may have potential for medical effects, including "gastroprotective activity" and benefits in terms of "lipid metabolism and oxidative stress". Cissus quinquangularis was used by the Maasai people of Kenya to relieve some of the symptoms of malaria.

Ornamental

Cissus alata and Cissus incisa are cultivated as garden plants in some areas of the world. Succulent members of the genus such as Cissus quadrangularis are also found in the nursery trade but tend to be frost tender and are thus not widely cultivated. Cissus alata is also cultivated as a houseplant, and C. discolor is often seen in greenhouses.

Ecology

Cissus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hypercompe eridanus and Hypercompe icasia. They are also consumed by chimpanzees.

Taxonomy

The generic name is derived from the Greek word κισσος, meaning "ivy". In the 1980s the genus was split according to some details of the flower. The large caudiciform species were moved to the new genus Cyphostemma. In 2023 several Australasian and South American species were placed in the new genus Apocissus.
The genus name was established by Carl Linnaeus who used species epithets that are adjectives with feminine grammatical gender in Latin. This matches the pattern that names of trees ending in -us in Latin have feminine gender, although other plant names ending in -us are usually masculine.

Species

Plants of the World Online currently includes:Cissus acreensis LombardiCissus adamii DetoitCissus adeyana Masinde & L.E.NewtonCissus adnata Roxb.Cissus alata Jacq. - grape ivyCissus albida Cambess.Cissus albiporcata Masinde & L.E.NewtonCissus amapaensis LombardiCissus ambongensis Desc.Cissus amoena Gilg & M.BrandtCissus amplexicaulis Trias-Blasi & J.Parn.Cissus anemonifolia Zipp. ex Miq.Cissus angustata Ridl.Cissus anisophylla LombardiCissus annamica Gagnep.Cissus antandroy Desc.Cissus anulata Desc.Cissus apendiculata LombardiCissus aphylla Chiov.Cissus aphyllantha GilgCissus araguainensis LombardiCissus aralioides Planch.Cissus arguta Hook.f.Cissus aristata BlumeCissus aristolochiifolia Planch.Cissus aristolochioides Planch.Cissus arnottiana B.V.Shetty & Par.SinghCissus assamica CraibCissus astrotricha Gagnep.Cissus aubertiana P.Singh & B.V.ShettyCissus auricoma Desc.Cissus austroyunnanensis Y.H.Li & Y.ZhangCissus bachmaensis Gagnep.Cissus bahiensis LombardiCissus barbeyana De Wild. & T.DurandCissus barteri Planch.Cissus bathyrhakodes Werderm.Cissus bauerlenii Planch.Cissus bequaertii DetoitCissus biformifolia Standl.Cissus blanchetiana Planch.Cissus boivinii Planch.Cissus bosseri Desc.Cissus bracteosa LombardiCissus brevipes C.V.Morton & Standl.Cissus cactiformis GilgCissus cacuminis Standl.Cissus caesia Afzel.Cissus calcicola CraibCissus camiriensis LombardiCissus campestris Planch.Cissus carrissoi Exell & MendonçaCissus cerasiformis Planch.Cissus coccinea Mart. ex Planch.Cissus cochinchinensis Spreng.Cissus colombiensis LombardiCissus comosa Desc.Cissus compressiflora LombardiCissus conchigera Ridl.Cissus convolvulacea Planch.Cissus cornifolia Planch.Cissus corylifolia Planch.Cissus coursii Desc.Cissus craibii Gagnep.Cissus crusei Wild & R.B.Drumm.Cissus cucumerifolia Planch.Cissus cucurbitina Standl.Cissus cuspidata Planch.Cissus cussonioides SchinzCissus darik Miq.Cissus dasyantha Gilg & M.BrandtCissus dealbata Bedd.Cissus decaryi Wahlert & PhillipsonCissus decidua LombardiCissus descoingsii LombardiCissus dewevrei De Wild. & T.DurandCissus dichotoma BlumeCissus diffusiflora Planch.Cissus dinklagei Gilg & M.BrandtCissus discolor BlumeCissus diversilobata C.A.Sm.Cissus doeringii Gilg & M.BrandtCissus duarteana Cambess.Cissus duboisii DewitCissus egestosa Werderm.Cissus ellenbeckii Gilg & M.BrandtCissus elmeri Cissus elongata Roxb.Cissus erecta S.H.Cho & Y.D.KimCissus erosa Rich. - caro de tres hojasCissus evrardii Gagnep.Cissus fanshawei Wild & R.B.Drumm.Cissus farinosa Planch.Cissus faucicola Wild & R.B.Drumm.Cissus flavifolia LombardiCissus floribunda Planch.Cissus forsteniana Planch.Cissus fragilis E.Mey. ex Harv.Cissus fuliginea KunthCissus furcifera Chiov.Cissus fusifolia LombardiCissus gambiana Desc.Cissus gardneri ThwaitesCissus glandulosa J.F.Gmel.Cissus glaucophylla Hook.f.Cissus glaucotricha LombardiCissus glossopetala Suess.Cissus glyptocarpa ThwaitesCissus gongylodes Burch. ex Baker - marble treevineCissus gossweileri Exell & MendonçaCissus gossypiifolia Standl.Cissus grisea Planch.Cissus guerkeana T.Durand & SchinzCissus haematantha Miq.Cissus hamaderohensis Radcl.-Sm.Cissus hastata Miq.Cissus heteroma Turcz.Cissus heterophylla Poir.Cissus heterotoma Turcz.Cissus hexangularis Thorel ex Planch.Cissus heyneana Steud.Cissus hookeri Ridl.Cissus humbertiana Desc.Cissus humbertii Robyns & LawalréeCissus integrifolia Planch.Cissus intermedia A.Rich.Cissus inundata Planch.Cissus kerrii CraibCissus koordersii AmshoffCissus kouandeensis A.Chev.Cissus kouilouensis Desc.Cissus lamprophylla Gilg & M.BrandtCissus lanea Desc.Cissus latifolia Lam.Cissus lebrunii DewitCissus leemansii DewitCissus lemurica Desc.Cissus lenticellata Suess.Cissus leonardii DewitCissus leucophlea Suess.Cissus lombardiana Kottaim.Cissus lonchiphylla ThwaitesCissus longicymosa LombardiCissus louisii DetoitCissus luzoniensis C.L.LiCissus macrobotrys Turcz.Cissus macrophylla Jungh.Cissus madecassa Desc.Cissus marcanii CraibCissus mauritiana Desc.Cissus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC.Cissus microcarpa VahlCissus microdonta Planch.Cissus miegei TchouméCissus migeodii Verdc.Cissus milnei Verdc.Cissus mirabilis LombardiCissus montana Cissus morifolia Planch.Cissus muelleri Cissus narinensis LombardiCissus neei CroatCissus nicaraguensis LombardiCissus nigropilosa DewitCissus nobilis Kuhlm.Cissus nodosa BlumeCissus notabilis DoweldCissus nymphaeifolia Planch.Cissus obliqua Ruiz & Pav.Cissus oblongifolia Merr.Cissus obovata VahlCissus oliveri Gilg ex Engl.Cissus oreophila Gilg & M.BrandtCissus osaensis LombardiCissus oxyodonta Desc.Cissus palmata Poir.Cissus palmatifida Planch.Cissus paniculata Planch.Cissus paraensis LombardiCissus parviflora Schult. & Schult.f.Cissus patellicalyx LombardiCissus paucinervia LombardiCissus paullinifolia Vell.Cissus peltata Turcz.Cissus penninervis Planch.Cissus pentaclada JackesCissus pentagona Roxb.Cissus perrieri Desc.Cissus peruviana LombardiCissus petiolata Hook.f.Cissus phymatocarpa Masinde & L.E.NewtonCissus picardae Urb.Cissus pileata Desc.Cissus pingtungensis S.S.YingCissus pinnatifolia LombardiCissus planchoniana GilgCissus planchonii Gagnep.Cissus polita Desc.Cissus polyantha Gilg & M.BrandtCissus populnea Guill. & Perr.Cissus producta Afzel.Cissus prunifera Desc.Cissus × pseudocaesia Gilg & M.BrandtCissus pseudofuliginea LombardiCissus pseudoguerkeana Verdc.Cissus pseudopolyantha Mildbr.Cissus pseudoverticillata LombardiCissus pteroclada HayataCissus pubinervis BlumeCissus pulcherrima Vell.Cissus pynaertii De Wild.Cissus quadrangularis L.Cissus quadricornuta Hochr.Cissus quarrei DewitCissus quinquangularis Chiov.Cissus reniformis DominCissus repanda VahlCissus repens Lam.Cissus rhamnoidea Planch.Cissus rheifolia Planch.Cissus rhodotricha Desc.Cissus robinsonii CraibCissus rondoensis Verdc.Cissus rostrata Korth. ex Planch.Cissus rotundifolia VahlCissus rubiginosa Planch.Cissus rubropilosa LombardiCissus rufescens Guill. & Perr.Cissus ruginosicarpa Desc.Cissus ruspolii GilgCissus sagittifer Desc.Cissus salehi LodéCissus schmitzii DewitCissus sciaphila GilgCissus senegalensis LavieCissus serroniana LombardiCissus serrulatifolia L.O.WilliamsCissus silvestris TchouméCissus smithiana Planch.Cissus spinosa Cambess.Cissus stipulata Vell.Cissus subaphylla Planch.Cissus suberecta Bedd.Cissus subhastata Gagnep.Cissus subramanyamii B.V.Shetty & Par.SinghCissus subrhomboidea Planch.Cissus sue Gilg & M.BrandtCissus sulcicaulis Planch.Cissus sulfurosa Desc.Cissus sumatrana LatiffCissus surinamensis Desc.Cissus sylvicola Masinde & L.E.NewtonCissus terengganuensis LatiffCissus teysmannii Miq.Cissus tiliacea KunthCissus tiliiformis Desc.Cissus tinctoria Mart.Cissus touraensis A.Chev.Cissus trifoliata L.Cissus trigona Willd.Cissus triloba Merr.Cissus triternata Miq.Cissus trothae Gilg & M.BrandtCissus ursina LombardiCissus uvifer Afzel.Cissus venezuelensis Steyerm.Cissus verticillata Nicolson & C.E.Jarvis - SeasonvineCissus vinosa JackesCissus viridescens Ridl.Cissus vitiginea L.Cissus voanonala Suess.Cissus wallacei Verdc.Cissus wellmanii Gilg & M.BrandtCissus welwitschii Planch.Cissus wenshanensis C.L.LiCissus woodrowii SantapauCissus wrightiana Planch.Cissus xavierensis Cissus xerophila LombardiCissus youngii Exell & MendonçaCissus zombitsy Desc.

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