Cissampelos pareira L.

Shrubby twiners; stems striate, glabrous to tomentose. Leaves petiolate, ob-scurely peltate or basifixed, broadly ovate, entire, the apex obtuse, rarely acuminate, frequently somewhat emarginate, mucronate, the base truncate or cordate, 2-12 cm. long and wide, membranous or papery, palmately 3-to 7-nerved, in youth more or less sericeous-tomentose on both sides, at length above more or less pubescent, rarely glabrous, below frequently paler, tomentose or pubescent, rarely entirely glabrous. Staminate inflorescence multiflowered fasciculate dichasia in the leaf axils, sometimes upon secondary axillary branches within the axils of reduced leaves or bracts; bracts of secondary branches basifixed, sessile or obscurely petiolate, ovate to subreniform, mucronate, about 1 cm. long and wide to minute, mem-branous, pubescent to tomentose; bracteoles linear, about 0.5 mm. long, pubescent. Staminate flowers: Sepals 4, ovate to obovate, exteriorly pubescent, 1.0-2.0 mm. long, 0.5-1.2 mm. wide; corolla campanulate, 0.8-1.8 mm. in diameter; anthers 4, glabrous. Pistillate inflorescence composed of individual flowers fasciculate upon secondary axillary branches within the axils of reduced leaves or bracts; bracts basifixed, sessile or obscurely petiolate, broadly ovate to reniform, mucronate, about 1.5 mm. long, 2.0 mm. wide to minute, membranous, puberulent to tomentose. Pistillate flowers: Sepal 1, obovate, 1.0-2.0 mm. long, 0.5-0.8 mm. wide, exteriorly pubescent; petal 1, broadly obovate to reniform, 0.5-0.8 mm. long, 0.7-1.5 mm. wide, glabrous or puberulent; carpel 1, gibbose, densely pubescent. Drupe broadly obo-vate or suborbicular, compressed, 4-5 mm. long, 3-4 mm. wide, pubescent or puberulent; endocarp verrucose, ribbed.

Rainforest, coastal evergreen bushland and deciduous bushland, at elevations up to 2,300 metres. It often persists on cleared ground and in plantations, and can also be found in secondary vegetation and near rock outcrops.

The leaves are harvested, crushed and filtered and the sap left to solidify. It is eaten as a sweet. The fruit is eaten. The dried root powder is added to rice liquor to improve fermentation.

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings.