Cissus adnata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cissus adnata Roxb.

• Protologue: Fl. ind. 1: 405 (1820).

Synonyms

• Vitis adnata Wight & Arnott (1834).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: areuy beungbeurutan (Sundanese), bantengan, galing kebo (Javanese)
• Malaysia: akar gamik, sambangan, seketan
• Philippines: ayong-kabayo (Tagalog), bolakau (Kuyonon), linga-an (Bagobo)
• Thailand: hun (eastern)
• Vietnam: dây nôi, dây cuốn.

Distribution

From India and Sri Lanka to Indo-China, Thailand, throughout South-East Asia into tropical Australia.

Uses

In Java, a cold infusion of the pounded root is taken for cough. The juice from the stem is taken for cough and diarrhoea. Externally the leaves are applied for maturation of boils. In India, a decoction of the dried tuberous roots is taken as an alterative, diuretic and blood purifier. The powdered root is heated and applied to cuts and fractures. In Bangladesh, a leaf poultice is applied to boils.

In India, the leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The stem is commonly used for cordage.

Observations

• A deciduous, slender climber, 5-15 m long, bark often reddish, flaky, pubescent when young, hairs multicellular, uniseriate and unicellular 2-armed, tendrils usually unbranched.
• Leaves simple, orbicular to broadly ovate, 8-18 cm × 10-19 cm, base cordate to reniform, apex acuminate to cuspidate, membranaceous, veins prominent, secondary veins terminating in hair-like projections which extend beyond the margin, hairs on lower surface 2-armed, petiole 3-8 cm long, stipules rounded-triangular, 3.5 mm long, glabrous.
• Inflorescence umbellate, loose, 2.5-7 cm long, 3-5 primary branches, pubescent.
• Corolla 1-1.5 mm long, often papillose, pale green to white.
• Berry pyriform, 4.5-7 mm long, dark brown to black, 1-seeded; seed ovoid, 4-6 mm long, lower end beaked, endosperm in transverse section twice divided by the thin endotesta, cotyledons similar.

C. adnata occurs in semi-deciduous thickets close to beaches, monsoon forest and open forest, usually on well-drained soils. Soils are variable but usually sandy to sandy loam, sometimes lateritic, sometimes calcareous.

Selected sources

• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [215] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948—1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [479] Jackes, B.R., 1987. A study of the trichomes of several frequently confused species of Cissus L. (Vitaceae). Blumea 32(1): 143—148.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.

Main genus page

• Cissus

Authors

• N.O. Aguilar