Cocculus orbiculatus (L.) Dc.

Queen coralbead (en), Liane d'amarrage (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Ranunculales > Menispermaceae > Cocculus

Characteristics

Slender climber. Stems herbaceous or slightly woody, 1-1.5 mm Ø, in leaf-bearing parts, puberulous to subglabrous. Leaves with puberulous petioles 5-10(-20) mm; lamina variable in shape, in Malaya and Sumatra usually elliptic to ovate-elliptic, in Java usually ovate to triangular-ovate, in the Philippines ± narrowly elliptic to very broadly elliptic, apex usually rounded, sometimes acute or emarginate, with a mucronate tip, base obtuse to truncate, rarely acute, 3-10 by 1-5.5 cm; base 3-(or 5-)nerved; both surfaces thinly puberulous to glabrous; papyraceous. Male inflorescences axillary and terminal, the flowers in peduncled cymes 0.8-1.5 cm long which are often solitary when axillary, or arranged in a narrow thyrse up to 7 cm, puberulous throughout with yellowish hairs. Male flowers white, glabrous throughout, borne on pedicels 1-2 mm; sepals in 3 whorls of 3, outermost whorl minute, often with one or more parts lacking, middle whorl up to 1 mm long, inner whorl with sepals obovate to rotund 1-2.5 mm long; petals 6, ± oblong with the apex divided into 2 acute lobes, with 2 incurved lobes shortly above the base clasping the filament of the stamen opposite, 1-1.5 mm long; stamens 6, 1 mm long. Female inflorescences axillary and terminal, much fewer-flowered than in the male, appearing racemose, up to 5 cm long. Female flowers on bracteolate 'pedicels' c. 5 mm long (i.e. glabrous pedicel + puberulous inflorescence-branch); sepals and petals as in male; staminodes 6, minute, 0.3 mm long, glabrous; carpels 6, glabrous, 0.75 mm long; style slender, curved outwards. Drupes dark blue, rotund in outline, 4.-5 mm ø, glabrous; endocarp with a small curved aperture on both sides, dorsally ornamented with branched ridges.
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Woody vines. Young branches striate, puberulent to subglabrous. Petiole 1-3(-5) cm, whitish tomentose or pubescent; leaf blade variable in shape, linear-lanceolate to broadly ovate, narrowly elliptic to rotund, oblanceolate to obcordate, sometimes 3(-5)-lobed, 3-8(-10) cm, variable in width, papery to thinly leathery, both surfaces puberulent to glabrous, base rounded to truncate, occasionally broadly cuneate or shallowly cordate, margin entire, apex acute or obtuse, with a finely mucronate acumen, sometimes slightly emarginate or 2-lobed, palmately 3(or 5)-veined, basal pair of veins usually obscure beyond middle of leaf blade, slightly raised abaxially. Inflorescences axillary, cymose, few flowered, or many flowered arranged in a narrow terminal or axillary thyrse, up to 10 cm or longer, puberulent. Male flowers: bracteoles 1 or 2, ca. 0.5 mm, closely adnate to sepals, puberulent; sepals 6, outer whorl ovate or elliptic-ovate, 1-1.8 mm, inner whorl broadly elliptic to rotund, sometimes broadly obovate, up to 2.5 mm or slightly longer; petals 6, 1-2 mm, with sides shortly above base folded inward around opposite filament, apex divided into 2 acuminate or acute lobes; stamens 6, shorter than petals. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male flower; staminodes 6, minute; carpels 6, glabrous. Drupes rotund, red to reddish purple, usually 7-8 mm in diam.; endocarp bony, 5-6 mm in diam., abaxially ornamented with branched ridges.
A woody vine. It grows 4 m long. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves vary in shape. They are oval and 3-8 cm long. The fruit are black.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support climber
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0
Mature height (meter) 4.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Often climbing over trees and shrubs by the sea-shore, inland sometimes on limestone terraces and found associated with other coastal plants (cf. BEUMEE, 1925).
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It is a subtropical plant. It grows beside streams and up to 1,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.
Sides of streams, to 1000 metres in W. China. Sparse forests, bushes, village sides and forest edges in most regions of China.
Light 4-8
Soil humidity 3-7
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-9

Usage

Uses food gene source material medicinal ornamental poison
Edible leaves roots
Therapeutic use Anti-infective agents (bark), Antineoplastic agents (bark), Alexiteric (unspecified), Arthritis (unspecified), Bite(Bug) (unspecified), Bite(Snake) (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Carminative (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Edema (unspecified), Refrigerant (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Nephritis (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Urogenital (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Cocculus orbiculatus leaf picture by Augustin Soulard (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Cocculus orbiculatus flower picture by Matthieu Gebus (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cocculus orbiculatus world distribution map, present in China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Réunion, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, and Viet Nam

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:580605-1
WFO ID wfo-0000613595
COL ID WMCY
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 448188
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Menispermum triflorum Nephroia sarmentosa Cebatha lonchophylla Cebatha mollis Cebatha orbiculata Cebatha virgata Cocculus cynanchoides Cocculus diantherus Cocculus dichopetalus Cocculus elegans Cocculus hexagynus Cocculus integer Cocculus lonchophyllus Cocculus mollis Cocculus nephroia Cocculus perraudi Cocculus umbellatus Cocculus virgatus Menispermum reniforme Menispermum hexagynum Cebatha cuneifolia Cebatha ferrandiana Cebatha integra Cocculus orbiculatus Cocculus orbiculatus Cocculus ovalifolius Cocculus sarmentosus Cocculus thunbergii Cocculus triflorus Nephroia pubinervis Menispermum trilobum Cocculus trilobus Menispermum orbiculatum Nephroia cuneifolia Nephroia dilatata Nephroia pycnantha Cocculus ovalifolius Cocculus ferrandianus Menispermum ovalifolium Limacia kunstleri Cocculus orbiculatus f. macrophyllus Cocculus lenissimus Ferrandia oleifera Cocculus orbiculatus var. mollis Cocculus sarmentosus var. linearis Cocculus sarmentosus var. pauciflorus Cocculus sarmentosus var. stenophyllus Cocculus orbiculatus var. orbiculatus Cocculus cuneatus