Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Cissampelos pareira

Edible: Tubers, Root, Caution, Stems, Leaves, Fruit

A woody vine or climber. The branches are slender. They are usually densely hairy. The leaves are simple and 5-12 cm long by 5-12 cm wide. The leaf stalk joins the leaf blade away from the edge. The leaf blade is papery. Plants are separately male and female. A group of flowers occur in the axils of leaves. The flowers have 1 petal and are cup shaped. They are white or yellow. The fruit is fleshy and yellow, orange or red. It is 5-7 mm long and wide. It is hairy. It occurs amongst bracts 1-2 cm long. There is 1 seed. It is brown and 4-5 mm long.
Variety pariera occur only in America and Africa. Variety hirsuta occurs in Asia.

They are tropical. In Pakistan it is common in hedges up to 2,300 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In Yunnan.

Common Names: Velvet leaf, Abutua, Adivi banka tige, Akanadi, Ambashtha, Appatta, Bai maa noi, Batul paate, Bohivory, Caa peba, Charrua, Chutu lutur, Cipo, False pareira brava, Gasing-gasing, Gegasing, Hamafana, Kattuvalli, Krea manoi, Krue ma noi, Kywet-abaung, Mempanang, Mil hombres, Mulika chera, Padavali, Paharvel, Ranu red, Tabo, Venivel, Vishkhapri, Xi sheng teng, Zarza

Synonyms: 

Cissampelos poilanei Gagn.;
Cissampelos microcarpa DC;
Cissampelos pannosa Turcz.;
Cissampelos hirsuta DC.;
and many others