Cissus populnea Guill. & Perr.

Liane to 4.5 m., with old stems mostly hollow, up to 7.5 cm. diameter and yielding a copious clear watery sap when cut.. Young branches ± fleshy, ferruginous pubescent or glabrescent, soon glabrous.. Leaves simple, ± round, broadly ovate or ovate–oblong, 2.5–17(–l9) cm. long, 2–17(–19) cm. wide, acute, shortly acuminate or obtuse to quite rounded at the apex, distantly minutely toothed, appearing almost entire, ± glabrous to shortly pubescent on venation on both sides, even ± subvelvety beneath, eventually glabrous; petiole 0.7–13(–16.5) cm. long; stipules oblong-triangular, 2.5–5 mm. long and wide, soon deciduous.. Flowers in lax cymes 6–16 cm. long and wide of umbel-like elements, ferruginous pubescent; peduncle 1–7 cm. long; pedicels 3–5 mm. long, attaining 1 cm. in fruit, imperceptibly to distinctly puberulous; bracts and bracteoles 1–1.5 mm. long.. Calyx 1–1.5 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, undulate, pubescent or minutely puberulent.. Petals cream or yellowish, oblong-ovate, 2.5–3 mm. long, puberulous or mostly glabrous.. Fruits blackish purple or yellow to red (fide Vollesen), ellipsoid or oblong, 2–2.5 cm. long, 1.2–1.5 cm. wide, glabrous.. Seed compressed, elliptic in outline, 1.5–1.9 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. wide, 5–9 mm. thick; basal projection conical, thick; median keel broad, rounded and sinuous; usually with lateral raised radial lines separated by deep concave area; testa smooth.

A tropical plant. It can grow from the coast to the Sahel woodlands in West Africa. It can grow in arid places. In Ethiopia it grows between 650-850 m above sea level.

The pulp of the fruit is eaten. It is used in soups. The leaves are used to make a slimy sauce. The stems are used as a condiment or flavouring. They provide water.