MENISPERMACEAE
Morphological description
Usually woody climbers. Sometimes erect shrubs (Cocculus laurifolius); wood yellow (Arcangelisia, Coscinium, Fibraurea); stem tuberculate (Tinospora crispa); white latex (Fibraurea, Tinomiscium)
Leaves
Leaves simple, spiral, exstipulate. Usually palminerved, entire, petiole thickened apically (bipulvinate). Sometimes penninerved (Albertisia, Carronia, Macrococculus, Pycnarrhena); the leaves finely striate above (Tinomiscium); leaves peltate (Stephania).
Inflorescence
Dioecious. Inflorescence extra-axillary, often cauliflorous. Sometimes inflorescence with large accrescent bracts (Cissampelos); inflorescence umbelliform (Stephania).
Flowers
Flower usually 3-merous.
Fruit
Fruit apocarpous, drupe 1-seeded.
Seed
Seed horseshoe-shaped, endocarp variously ornamented.
Different from: Aristolochiaceae: leaves withering away on the stem, leaving no scar. - Cucurbitaceae and Passifloraceae: tendril bearing. - Climbing Icacinaceae: petiole without swollen ends, tendril-bearing or leaves opposite. - Dioscoreaceae: underground rhizome, petiole not thickened, fruits usually winged.
Distribution: The family pantropical, a few species extra-tropical. In Malesia 25 genera, including : - Albertisia (paleotropical), robust lianas; lowland rain forest; - Fibraurea (Indo-Malesia), woody climbers; seasonal forest, primary and secondary lowland rain forest; - Limacia (Indo-Malesia), woody climbers; primary and secondary lowland forest; - Stephania (paleotropical), slender climbers; primary and secondary lowland and montane forest; - Tinospora (paleotropical), woody climbers; seasonal and everwet forest, mainly lowland.
Notes: Most Malesian species are climbers of primary lowland rain forest, some species occur in montane, seasonal and secondary forest. The fruits of some species are eaten by birds and mammals. Many species contain alkaloids and are used medicinally: Fibraurea, Stephania, Tinomiscium, Tinospora. - Crushed leaves of Cyclea barbata and Stephania capitata yield •cincauo (vegetable jelly used in cool drinks).
Literature: L.L. Forman, Fl. Males. I, 10 (1986) 157-253.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Menispermaceae 5, 30, 58, 79, 83, 91 - Albertisia 38 - Anamirta 38, 70 - Arcangelisia 38, 70, 105 - Carronia 38, 78 - Chlaenandra 38, 70, 95 - Cissampelos 51 - Cocculus laurifolius 64; C. orbiculatus 81 - Coscinium 38, 51, 70 - Cyclea 51, 70 - Diploclisia 19, 51, 70, 78 - Fibraurea 19, 38, 78 - Haematocarpus70 - Hypserpa 38 - Legnephora 38 - Limacia 38 - Macrococculus 38, 70 - Pachygone 38 - Parabaena 95 - Pericampylus 38 - Pycnarrhena 38 - Sarcopetalum 38, 51, 70 - Stephania 38, 51, 70; S. venosa 21 - Tiliacora 70, 105 - Tinomiscium 19, 38, 70, 78 - Tinospora 105.
Illustrations: Fig. 112. Albertisia papuana Becc. (Menispermaceae). a. Habit with infructescence; b. male inflorescences, both; c. male flower and d female flower with half of inner calyx removed; e. drupe on carpophore, f. TS of drupe, g. endocarp, h. seed, all. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 10 (1986) 180, fig. 2a-h. a c d e b g f h. Fig. 113. Fibraurea tinctoria Lour. (Menispermaceae). a. Leaf; b. male inflorescence, both; c. male flower, front sepals removed; d. stamen, side view, both; e. female flower, front sepals and staminode removed; f. drupe; g. endocarp; h. TS of endocarp. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 10 (1986) 208, fig. 9a-h. 147 Fig. 114. Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers (Menispermaceae). Reproduced from C.A. Backer, Weed Flora of Javanese Sugar-cane fields, Atlas pt 9 (1936) t. 258. 148 Fig. 115. Tinomiscium petiolare Miers (Menispermaceae). Reproduced from Hsuan Keng, Orders and Families of Malayan Seed plants (1978) fig. 19. With kind permission of the Prof. and Mrs. Keng.
Image in PhytoImages for Menispermaceae