Vitaceae
Cyphostemma

Cyphostemma congestum (Baker) Desc. ex Wild & R.B.Drumm.

First published in Fl. Zambes. 2: 473 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Botswana. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Vitaceae, Bernard Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993

Morphology General Habit
Prostrate or climbing herb 2–3 m. long from a tuberous rootstock; stems striate, ± adpressed grey or ferruginous pubescent, usually with gland-tipped hairs but these may be absent; tendrils present, red.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves somewhat fleshy, 3–5-foliolate, sessile or subsessile; leaflets narrowly elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate-obovate, 1–12 cm. long, 0.7–5 cm. wide, rounded to acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, crenate to sharply serrate, sometimes folded along the midrib, often falcate, sparsely to densely puberulous or pubescent or glabrescent; median petiolule 0.3–1.5 cm. long, pubescent or puberulous and sometimes with a few gland-tipped hairs; stipules ovate or oblong, acuminate, 0.5–1.5 cm. long, up to 6.5 mm. wide, ± falcate, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes lax from terminal and short lateral shoots, 6 cm. wide extending to 15 cm. in fruit; peduncle 1.5–7 cm. long, grey or ferruginous pubescent and often with gland-tipped hairs; pedicels (1–)2–4 mm. long, densely whitish or ferruginous pubescent; bracts and bracteoles linear, 2 mm. long, pubescent.
Morphology General Buds
Buds greenish yellow, green, pink or white, oblong-cylindric, ± 2.7 mm. long, constricted just above the middle, puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx red or white, 0.3 mm. long, densely pubescent and often with black or purplish sessile glands near junction with pedicel.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary pubescent or densely white tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit red, ellipsoid, 6.5–8 mm. long, 4.5–5 mm. wide, apiculate, densely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ovoid-subglobose, 5.5–6 mm. long, 4–4.5 mm. wide; ventral crest basally marked, less marked with marginal groove on either side apically, dorsal median crest strong and with groove at either side, lateral crests obsolete or obscure but rugose between, overall ± distinctly tuberculate.
Habitat
Grassland, also riverine thicket at lower altitudes and edges of relict forest patches of Apodytes, Tecomaria, etc.; 780–1920 m.
Distribution
T4 T6 T7 T8
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/