Endeavour River Vine
Cissus adnata

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

A woody creeper or vine that keeps growing from year to year. It will climb to 5-15 m high and spread to 4 m across. The stem is slender and woody. It climbs by tendrils which attach to objects. It usually loses all its leaves during the dry season. Young shoots are covered with brown hairs. The leaves are dull green and 6-12 cm long by 4-8 cm wide. They are broad and round or heart shaped. They have saw like teeth along the edge. The veins in the leaf are easy to see. The flowers are in small dense heads. They are green or cream and 2 mm wide. The flower bunches are produced in the axils of leaves near the ends of branches. The fruit are green berries which become black when ripe. They are 6-8 mm long. They resemble grapes. The are edible, but not attractive. They contain one seed which is round and 4-6 mm across.

There are about 200-350 Cissus species. There are about 75 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows most commonly on medium to heavy, moist soils. It suits a shaded and protected position. It is drought and frost tender. It grows along stream banks in open forest. In Sikkim it grows between 300-1,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

CAUTION: Some people consider the fruit toxic. The fruit are edible but are leathery and have an unpleasant taste. Sometimes the fibrous root is cooked and eaten. The leaves are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves, root

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed or cuttings. The plant regrows each year from the rootstock.

In India plants flower and fruit from November to January.

Its other names

Local names

Alianga-lata, Bodlarnari, Charchare, Gudamatige, Gudmatige, Kokkitayaralu, Kolezan, Kongouyen, Kung chen-rik, Nadena, Native grape, Pani-lara

Synonyms

Cissua compressa Blume; Cissus latifolia Vahl; Cissus pallida (Wight & Arn.) Steud.; Siccus simplex Blanco; Vitis adnata (Roxb.) Wallich; Vitis compressa (Blume) Backer; Vitis simplex (Blanco) Burkill; Vitis vitiginea var. adnata (Roxb.) Kuntze;