The World Flora Online

Woody climbers, sometimes vines, rarely small succulent trees, hermaphroditic or polygamo-monoecious to polygamo-dioecious. Stems unarmed, sometimes with conspicuous lenticels, or bark sometimes shredding (in most species of Vitis); branches often swollen at 3-7-lacunar nodes; pith continuous or interrupted by diaphragms at nodes; tendrils simple, bifurcate to trifurcate, or 4-12-branched (in Parthenocissus), usually leaf-opposed, rarely tendrils absent. Raphide sacs present in parenchymatous tissues. Leaves simple, lobed or unlobed, or digitately or pedately compound to 1-3-pinnately compound, alternate, distichous, variously toothed, commonly with multicellular, stalked, caducous spherical structures known as "pearl" glands; stipules 2 or rarely absent, often caducous. Flowers small, with prophylls, in panicles, corymbs, or rarely spikes, often leaf-opposite, pseudo-terminal, or axillary (in Cayratia and Tetrastigma), actinomorphic, hypogynous, 4- or 5(-7 as in Rhoicissus)-merous. Calyx with 4 or 5(-7) small teeth or lobes or a continuous ring. Petals valvate, 4 or 5(-7), free or basally connate, or distally connate forming a calyptra (e.g., in Vitis). Stamens 4 or 5(-7), antepetalous; anthers introrse, dehiscing longitudinally, tetrasporangiate or rarely bisporangiate. Floral disk intrastaminal, ring-shaped, cupular, or gland-shaped. Ovary superior, 2-loculed; ovules 2 per locule; placentation axile, appearing nearly basal, apotropous or anatropous, bitegmic, crassinucellar; style simple, connate; stigma discoid or capitate, rarely 4-lobed (Tetrastigma), not papillate. Fruit a berry, 1-4-seeded. Seeds endotestal, with an abaxial chalazal knot and an adaxial raphe with 2 furrows, one on each side; embryo straight, small; endosperm oily, proteinaceous, copious, ruminate.

Lianes , buissons sarmenteux, suffrutex ou herbes grimpantes, rampantes ou dressées, souvent à souche renflée, monoïques ou dioïques, parfois charnus, parfois munis de glandes, glabres à indumentés à indument formé soit de poils glanduleux, soit de poils non glanduleux basi- ou médifixes soit encore d'un mélange de poils glanduleux et de poils non glanduleux; présence fréquente de raphides, cristaux et poches mucilagineuses; tiges souvent munies de vrilles oppositifoliées.'Feuilles'alternes, rarement opposées, simples, composées-pennées, -digitées ou -pédalées1, pétiolées ou sessiles; stipules 2, libres, persistantes ou caduques; limbe parfois criblé de ponctuations translucides.'Inflorescences'oppositifoliées, parfois pseudo-axillaires, parfois terminales, en cymes composées, parfois ombelliformes ou corymbiformes, glomérules, thyrses ou épis; pédoncule parfois prolongé en vrille; bractées et bractéoles généralement persistantes.'Fleurs'généralement petites,'☿ ou ♂♀, actinomorphes, sessiles ou pédicellées; calice cupuliforme, entier, parfois à bord ondulé ou 4-5(6-7)-lobé ou -denté; corolle, androcée et gynécée portés sur un axe ± développé; pétales 4-5(6-7), à préfloraison valvaire, libres ou soudés au sommet et tombant alors sous forme de calyptre, rapidement caducs ou marcescents, ± épais, formant parfois au sommet un capuchon où se logent les anthères, glabres à indumentés parfois munis de poils glanduleux; étamines 4-5 (6-7), épipétales, à filets égaux et libres; anthères 2-1oculaires, médifixes, à déhiscence longitudinale introrse; disque présent, intrastaminal, rarement libre, soudé à la base de l'ovaire ou complètement adné à ce dernier et alors peu distinct, annulaire, entier ou ± lobé à ondulé ou formé de glandes séparées; ovaire supère, conique, obconique, en forme de dôme ou globuleux, glabre à indumenté, parfois muni de poils glanduleux, à 2 carpelles, 2-loculaire; ovules 2 par loge, basaux, anatropes; style long à très court, cylindrique à conique, glabre, lisse ou cannelé; stigmate terminal, ± capité, entier ou 2-4-fide ou en dépression glutineuse de même largeur que le style.'Baies'± charnues, ovoïdes, globuleuses ou piriformes, glabres à indumentées, parfois munies de poils glanduleux ou de glandes.'Graines 1-4, ovoïdes à globuleuses, parfois réniformes, ± rostrées, ellipsoïdes, ± comprimées ou triédriques-cordiformes; testa généralement dur; endosperme ± profondément lobé; embryon petit, droit.\n\t\t\tFamille principalement répandue en Afrique, Asie et Amérique tropicales et subtropicales, plus rare en régions tempérées et en Australie; 11 genres et ± 600 espèces; au Congo belge, 3 genres et 114 espèces, dont 3 imparfaitement connues.

Fls regular, hypogynous, perfect or unisexual, mostly 4–5-merous; cal small, often scarcely lobed, or nearly obsolete; pet small, valvate in bud; stamens as many as and opposite the pet; ovary often somewhat sunken in the nectary disk, bilocular, with 2 erect, apotropous, nearly basal ovules per locule; style simple, with a discoid or capitate stigma; seeds with a conspicuous abaxial chalazal knot and 2 deep adaxial grooves; embryo small, with 2 cotyledons, embedded in the copious endosperm; mostly woody vines with lf-opposed tendrils and infls, the lvs stipulate,

Seeds ovoid, often pointed at one end; endosperm copious, sometimes ruminate Petals 4–6, free or cohering at apex, valvate Calyx entire or 4–6-lobed Flowers regular, usually hermaphrodite, mostly in much-branched cymes Leaves alternate, simple or digitately compound, rarely pedate, entire or toothed, stipulate Predominantly climbing herbs or lianes, but sometimes erect or trailing herbs, shrubs or small trees, occasionally distinctly succulent; tendrils often present, leaf-opposed or arising from the peduncle Disk intrastaminal, annular or of separate glands Stamens 4–6, opposite the petals; filaments free; anthers 2-thecous, medifixed with longitudinal dehiscence Fruit a 1–4-seeded berry Ovary superior, 2-locular, each locule with 2 erect ovules; style short or slender; stigma subulate to capitate Petals 4–6, free or cohering at apex, valvate Calyx entire or 4–6-lobed Flowers regular, usually hermaphrodite, mostly in much-branched cymes Leaves alternate, simple or digitately compound, rarely pedate, entire or toothed, stipulate Predominantly climbing herbs or lianes, but sometimes erect or trailing herbs, shrubs or small trees, occasionally distinctly succulent; tendrils often present, leaf-opposed or arising from the peduncle Disk intrastaminal, annular or of separate glands Stamens 4–6, opposite the petals; filaments free; anthers 2-thecous, medifixed with longitudinal dehiscence Fruit a 1–4-seeded berry Ovary superior, 2-locular, each locule with 2 erect ovules; style short or slender; stigma subulate to capitate

SELECTED REFERENCES Brizicky, G. K. 1965. The genera of Vitaceae in the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 46: 48–67. Ren, H. et al. 2011. Phylogenetic analysis of the grape family (Vitaceae) based on the noncoding plastid trnC-petN, trnH-psbA, and trnL-F sequences. Taxon 60: 629–637. Soejima, A. and Wen J. 2006. Phylogenetic analysis of the grape family (Vitaceae) based on three chloroplast markers. Amer. J. Bot. 93: 278-287. Wen, J. 2007. Vitaceae. In: K. Kubitzki et al., eds. 1990+. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. 10+ vols. Berlin etc. Vol. 9, pp. 467–479.

Vines or lianas, occasionally shrubby [trees], synoecious, dioecious, or polygamomonoecious; commonly with multicellular, stalked, caducous, spheric structures (pearl glands); tendrils usually present, rarely absent. Leaves alternate, simple or palmately or pinnately compound; stipules present; petiole present; blade often palmately lobed, margins dentate, serrate, or crenate; venation palmate or pinnate. Inflorescences bisexual or functionally unisexual, axillary or terminal and appearing leaf-opposed, cymes or thryses [spikes]. Flowers bisexual or unisexual; perianth and androecium hypogynous; hypanthium absent; sepals 4–5(–9), connate most or all of length; petals (3–)4–5(–9), distinct (connate distally, forming calyptra, in Vitis) [connate basally], valvate, free; nectary intrastaminal; stamens (3–)4–5(–9), opposite petals, distinct; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits; staminodes present in functionally pistillate flowers; pistil 1, 2[–3]-carpellate, ovary superior, 2[–3]-locular, placentation axile, sometimes appearing parietal; ovules 2 per locule, apotropous or anatropous; style 1; stigma 1 [4]. Fruits berries. Seeds 1–4 per fruit.

Calyx subentire or 4–6-lobed Petals 4–6, free, valvate Flowers actinomorphic, usually bisexual Ovary superior, 2-locular; ovules 2 in each loculus; style short; stigma subulate to capitate Fruit baccate, with 1–4 seeds Stamens 4–6, opposite the petals; filaments free; anthers 2-locular, medifixed with longitudinal dehiscence Disk intrastaminal, annular or of separate glands Leaves alternate, simple or digitately compound or rarely pedate, margin variously toothed or rarely entire; stipules petiolar; tendrils present or absent, leaf-opposed or arising from the peduncle Seeds with copious sometimes ruminate endosperm Erect trailing or climbing perennial herbs, climbing shrubs or rarely small trees Petals 4–6, free, valvate Flowers actinomorphic, usually bisexual Ovary superior, 2-locular; ovules 2 in each loculus; style short; stigma subulate to capitate Fruit baccate, with 1–4 seeds Stamens 4–6, opposite the petals; filaments free; anthers 2-locular, medifixed with longitudinal dehiscence Disk intrastaminal, annular or of separate glands Leaves alternate, simple or digitately compound or rarely pedate, margin variously toothed or rarely entire; stipules petiolar; tendrils present or absent, leaf-opposed or arising from the peduncle Seeds with copious sometimes ruminate endosperm Erect trailing or climbing perennial herbs, climbing shrubs or rarely small trees