Cissus is a genus of 350 species of lianas (woody vines) in the grape family (Vitaceae). 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 (kissos), 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 (e.g., C. trifoliata L.). 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. page 96
Species Plants of the World Online currently includes:
Cissus acreensis Lombardi Cissus adamii Detoit Cissus adeyana Masinde & L.E.Newton Cissus adnata Roxb. Cissus alata Jacq. – grape ivy Cissus albida Cambess. Cissus albiporcata Masinde & L.E.Newton Cissus amapaensis Lombardi Cissus ambongensis Desc. Cissus amoena Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus amplexicaulis Trias-Blasi & J.Parn. Cissus anemonifolia Zipp. ex Miq. Cissus angustata Ridl. Cissus anisophylla Lombardi Cissus annamica Gagnep. Cissus antandroy Desc. Cissus anulata Desc. Cissus apendiculata Lombardi Cissus aphylla Chiov. Cissus aphyllantha Gilg Cissus araguainensis Lombardi Cissus aralioides (Welw. ex Baker) Planch. Cissus arguta Hook.f. Cissus aristata Blume Cissus aristolochiifolia Planch. Cissus aristolochioides Planch. Cissus arnottiana B.V.Shetty & Par.Singh Cissus assamica (M.A.Lawson) Craib Cissus astrotricha Gagnep. Cissus aubertiana (Gage) P.Singh & B.V.Shetty Cissus auricoma Desc. Cissus austroyunnanensis Y.H.Li & Y.Zhang Cissus bachmaensis Gagnep. Cissus bahiensis Lombardi Cissus barbeyana De Wild. & T.Durand Cissus barteri (Baker) Planch. Cissus bathyrhakodes Werderm. Cissus bauerlenii Planch. Cissus bequaertii Detoit Cissus biformifolia Standl. Cissus blanchetiana Planch. Cissus boivinii Planch. Cissus bosseri Desc. Cissus bracteosa Lombardi Cissus brevipes C.V.Morton & Standl. Cissus cactiformis Gilg Cissus cacuminis Standl. Cissus caesia Afzel. Cissus calcicola Craib Cissus camiriensis Lombardi Cissus campestris (Baker) Planch. Cissus carrissoi Exell & Mendonça Cissus cerasiformis (Teijsm. & Binn.) Planch. Cissus coccinea (Baker) Mart. ex Planch. Cissus cochinchinensis Spreng. Cissus colombiensis Lombardi Cissus comosa Desc. Cissus compressiflora Lombardi Cissus conchigera Ridl. Cissus convolvulacea Planch. Cissus cornifolia (Baker) Planch. Cissus corylifolia (Baker) Planch. Cissus coursii Desc. Cissus craibii Gagnep. Cissus crusei Wild & R.B.Drumm. Cissus cucumerifolia Planch. Cissus cucurbitina Standl. Cissus cuspidata Planch. Cissus cussonioides Schinz Cissus darik Miq. Cissus dasyantha Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus dealbata Bedd. Cissus decaryi Wahlert & Phillipson Cissus decidua Lombardi Cissus descoingsii Lombardi Cissus dewevrei De Wild. & T.Durand Cissus dichotoma Blume Cissus diffusiflora (Baker) Planch. Cissus dinklagei Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus discolor Blume Cissus diversilobata C.A.Sm. Cissus doeringii Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus duarteana Cambess. Cissus duboisii Dewit Cissus egestosa Werderm. Cissus ellenbeckii Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus elmeri Cissus elongata Roxb. Cissus erecta S.H.Cho & Y.D.Kim Cissus erosa Rich. – caro de tres hojas Cissus evrardii Gagnep. Cissus fanshawei Wild & R.B.Drumm. Cissus farinosa Planch. Cissus faucicola Wild & R.B.Drumm. Cissus flavifolia Lombardi Cissus floribunda (Baker) Planch. Cissus forsteniana (Miq.) Planch. Cissus fragilis E.Mey. ex Harv. Cissus fuliginea Kunth Cissus furcifera Chiov. Cissus fusifolia Lombardi Cissus gambiana Desc. Cissus gardneri Thwaites Cissus glandulosa (Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel.) J.F.Gmel. Cissus glaucophylla Hook.f. Cissus glaucotricha Lombardi Cissus glossopetala (Baker) Suess. Cissus glyptocarpa Thwaites Cissus gongylodes (Baker) Burch. ex Baker – marble treevine Cissus gossweileri Exell & Mendonça Cissus gossypiifolia Standl. Cissus grisea (Baker) Planch. Cissus guerkeana (Büttner) T.Durand & Schinz Cissus 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 & Lawalrée Cissus integrifolia Planch. Cissus intermedia A.Rich. Cissus inundata (Baker) Planch. Cissus kerrii Craib Cissus koordersii (Backer) Amshoff Cissus kouandeensis A.Chev. Cissus kouilouensis Desc. Cissus lamprophylla Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus lanea Desc. Cissus latifolia Lam. Cissus lebrunii Dewit Cissus leemansii Dewit Cissus lemurica Desc. Cissus lenticellata (Baker) Suess. Cissus leonardii Dewit Cissus leucophlea (Scott Elliot) Suess. Cissus lombardiana Kottaim. Cissus lonchiphylla Thwaites Cissus longicymosa Lombardi Cissus louisii Detoit Cissus luzoniensis (Merr.) C.L.Li Cissus macrobotrys Turcz. Cissus macrophylla Jungh. Cissus madecassa Desc. Cissus marcanii Craib Cissus mauritiana Desc. Cissus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC. Cissus microcarpa Vahl Cissus microdonta (Baker) Planch. Cissus miegei Tchoumé Cissus migeodii Verdc. Cissus milnei Verdc. Cissus mirabilis (Urb. & Ekman) Lombardi Cissus montana Cissus morifolia Planch. Cissus muelleri Cissus narinensis Lombardi Cissus neei Croat Cissus nicaraguensis Lombardi Cissus nigropilosa Dewit Cissus nobilis Kuhlm. Cissus nodosa Blume Cissus notabilis Doweld Cissus nymphaeifolia (Welw. ex Baker) Planch. Cissus obliqua Ruiz & Pav. Cissus oblongifolia Merr. Cissus obovata Vahl Cissus oliveri (Engl.) Gilg ex Engl. Cissus oreophila Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus osaensis Lombardi Cissus oxyodonta (Baker) Desc. Cissus palmata Poir. Cissus palmatifida (Baker) Planch. Cissus paniculata (Balf.f.) Planch. Cissus paraensis Lombardi Cissus parviflora Schult. & Schult.f. Cissus patellicalyx Lombardi Cissus paucinervia Lombardi Cissus paullinifolia Vell. Cissus peltata Turcz. Cissus penninervis (F.Muell.) Planch. Cissus pentaclada Jackes Cissus pentagona Roxb. Cissus perrieri Desc. Cissus peruviana Lombardi Cissus petiolata Hook.f. Cissus phymatocarpa Masinde & L.E.Newton Cissus picardae Urb. Cissus pileata Desc. Cissus pingtungensis S.S.Ying Cissus pinnatifolia Lombardi Cissus planchoniana Gilg Cissus planchonii Gagnep. Cissus polita Desc. Cissus polyantha Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus populnea Guill. & Perr. Cissus producta Afzel. Cissus prunifera Desc. Cissus × pseudocaesia Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus pseudofuliginea Lombardi Cissus pseudoguerkeana Verdc. Cissus pseudopolyantha Mildbr. Cissus pseudoverticillata Lombardi Cissus pteroclada Hayata Cissus pubinervis Blume Cissus pulcherrima Vell. Cissus pynaertii De Wild. Cissus quadrangularis L. Cissus quadricornuta (Miq.) Hochr. Cissus quarrei Dewit Cissus quinquangularis Chiov. Cissus reniformis Domin Cissus repanda (Wight & Arn.) Vahl Cissus repens Lam. Cissus rhamnoidea Planch. Cissus rheifolia Planch. Cissus rhodotricha (Baker) Desc. Cissus robinsonii (Ridl.) Craib Cissus rondoensis Verdc. Cissus rostrata (Miq.) Korth. ex Planch. Cissus rotundifolia Vahl Cissus rubiginosa (Welw. ex Baker) Planch. Cissus rubropilosa Lombardi Cissus rufescens Guill. & Perr. Cissus ruginosicarpa Desc. Cissus ruspolii Gilg Cissus sagittifer Desc. Cissus salehi Lodé Cissus schmitzii Dewit Cissus sciaphila Gilg Cissus senegalensis Lavie Cissus serroniana (Glaz.) Lombardi Cissus serrulatifolia L.O.Williams Cissus silvestris Tchoumé Cissus smithiana (Baker) Planch. Cissus spinosa Cambess. Cissus stipulata Vell. Cissus subaphylla (Balf.f.) Planch. Cissus suberecta Bedd. Cissus subhastata Gagnep. Cissus subramanyamii B.V.Shetty & Par.Singh Cissus subrhomboidea (Baker) Planch. Cissus sue Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus sulcicaulis (Baker) Planch. Cissus sulfurosa Desc. Cissus sumatrana Latiff Cissus surinamensis Desc. Cissus sylvicola Masinde & L.E.Newton Cissus terengganuensis Latiff Cissus teysmannii Miq. Cissus tiliacea Kunth Cissus tiliiformis Desc. Cissus tinctoria Mart. Cissus touraensis A.Chev. Cissus trifoliata (L.) L. Cissus trigona Willd. Cissus triloba (Lour.) Merr. Cissus triternata Miq. Cissus trothae Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus ursina Lombardi Cissus uvifer Afzel. Cissus venezuelensis Steyerm. Cissus verticillata (L.) Nicolson & C.E.Jarvis – Seasonvine Cissus vinosa Jackes Cissus viridescens Ridl. Cissus vitiginea L. Cissus voanonala (Baker) Suess. Cissus wallacei Verdc. Cissus wellmanii Gilg & M.Brandt Cissus welwitschii (Baker) Planch. Cissus wenshanensis C.L.Li Cissus woodrowii (Stapf ex Cooke) Santapau Cissus wrightiana Planch. Cissus xavierensis Cissus xerophila Lombardi Cissus youngii Exell & Mendonça Cissus zombitsy Desc.
Formerly placed here Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata (Maxim.) Momiy (as C. brevipedunculata Maxim.) Ampelopsis orientalis (Lam.) Planch. (as C. orientalis Lam.) Ampelopsis vitifolia Planch. (as C. vitifolia Boiss.) Apocissus acrantha (as C. acrantha ) Apocissus antarctica (as C. antarctica ) Apocissus behrmannii (as C. behrmannii ) Apocissus hypoglauca (as C. hypoglauca ) Apocissus oblonga (as C. oblonga ) Apocissus sterculiifolia (as C. sterculiifolia ) Apocissus trianae (as C. trianae ) Cayratia geniculata (Blume) Gagnep. (as C. geniculata Blume) Cayratia saponaria (as C. saponaria (Seem. ex Benth.) Planch. or C. bicolor Domin) Cayratia trifolia (L.) Domin (as C. trifolia (L.) K.Schum.) Clematicissus opaca (as C. opaca ) Cyphostemma bainesii (Hook.f.) Desc. (as C. bainesii (Hook.f.) Gilg & M.Brandt) Cyphostemma cirrhosum (Thunb.) Desc. (as C. cirrhosa (Thunb.) Willd.) Cyphostemma currorii (Hook.f.) Desc. (as C. currorii Hook.f. or C. crameriana Schinz) Cyphostemma juttae (Dinter & Gilg) Desc. (as C. juttae Dinter & Gilg) Rhoicissus tomentosa (Lam.) Wild & R.B.Drumm. (as C. capensis Willd. or C. tomentosa Lam.) Strychnos umbellata (Lour.) Merr. (as C. umbellata Lour.) Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston ex Mabb. (as C. lanceolaria Roxb. or C. leucostaphyla Dennst.) Tetrastigma serrulatum (Roxb.) Planch. (as C. serrulata Roxb.)
Image gallery
References
External links
Cissus striata pictures at Chilebosque Description of the genus