Cyphia sylvatica


Cyphia sylvatica is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cyphia, endemic to the Western Cape.

Description

Cyphia sylvatica is a twining climber, with an underground tuber.
The leaves have a short petiole and sometimes appear almost sessile. The leaves are entire, with a linear to elongated lanceolate shape. The leaf-tips are acute. The leaf bases gradually narrow into the short petiole. The leaf margins are often denticulate. At the base of the stems, near the ground, there are sometimes much broader leaves.
The flower shape is bilabiate, with the corolla tube divided entirely into two. The stamens are 6-7mm long. The flower colour is white to a pale purple/mauve.
It is closely related to, and often confused with, other southern Cape species such as Cyphia volubilis and Cyphia digitata.