Gendal
Cissus repanda

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

A large climber. It sheds its leaves. The stems are soft and have holes. The stems are 15 cm across. The stem climbs 24 m high in trees. The tendrils are forked. The leaves are roundish and deeply cut at the base. They are oval to heart shaped. They taper towards the tip. There are teeth with sharp points. There are rusty hairs underneath when young. The leaves are 7.5-12.5 cm long and 10-15 cm across and have 5-7 angles. The flowers are cream or red. They are 2.5 mm long. They occur in slender flat topped arrangements. The fruit are pear shaped. They are 8-12 mm long. There is a knob at the tip. They have one seed.

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

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in semi-evergreen jungles. In Nepal these are at 1400-2500 m altitude. They grow in open, rocky places. In Sikkim it is recorded between 400-800 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand

How it is used for food

The stems are cut to release water to drink. The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. The young leaves and shoots are cooked as a vegetable.

Edible parts

Stems - water, fruit, leaves, vegetable, tuber ?

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

In India plants flower and fruit in April to June.

Its other names

Local names

Arem tsukme-natsu, Dausrem, Gendal, Hleza-gyi, Jhuleti, Khaupuang, Khaupuong, Lenpuang kung, Lenpuong teh, Medmedia-lop, Pani-bel, Panialata, Pani lahara, Panilahera, Vhyem-rik

Synonyms

Cissus acuminata Thwaites; Cissus indica Rottler; Cissus rosea (Royle) Walp.; Cissus vitifolia Salisb.; Parthenocissus subferruginea (Merr. & Chun)C. L. Li ; Vitis gigantea Bedd.; Vitis pallida Wight & Arn.; Vitis repanda (Vahl) Wight & Arn.; Vitis vitiginea var. repanda (Vahl) Kuntze;