Threeleaf Cayratia

Lianas, woody. Branchlets terete, with longitudinal ridges, sparsely pubescent; tendrils 3-5-branched. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 2.5-6 cm; central petiolule 0.5-2.5 cm, lateral petiolules 4-8 mm, pilose; leaflets oval, 3-6 × 1.5-4 cm, abaxially pilose, adaxially with appressed hairs, lateral veins 7 or 8 pairs, veinlets inconspicuously raised adaxially, base rounded, apex acute or obtuse; lateral leaflets with asymmetric and subrounded base, margin with 8-11 obtuse teeth on each side. Compound dichasium axillary; peduncle 2-7.5 cm, pilose. Pedicel 1-3 mm, pubescent. Buds oval, 1.3-1.8 mm, apex rounded. Calyx shallow and saucer-shaped, pilose, entire or undulate. Petals elliptic, 1.3-1.8 mm, with gray papillose hairs. Anthers oval. Lower part of ovary adnate to disk; style slender. Berry globose, 7-8 mm in diam., 2- or 3-seeded. Seeds triangular, apex rounded, ventral holes obovate-elliptic upward 1/3 from base, ribs obtuse along margin, slightly raised. Fl. and fr. Jun-Dec.

Tropical Himalaya, India, Burma, Indo-China, China, Malaysia.

Yunnan [Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].

200-250 m

Forests on hillsides or by streams, on rocks; 500-1000 m.

Vitis trifolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 203. 1753; Cissus carnosa Lamarck; V. carnosa (Lamarck) Wallich ex M. A. Lawson.

Causonis trifolia commonly known as bush Grape, fox-grape, three-leaved wild vine or threeleaf cayratia is a species of liana plant native to Australia and Asia. It has black-colored berries, and its leaves contain several flavonoids, such as cyanidin and delphinidin. Hydrocyanic acid is present in the stem, leaves and roots.