Family: Menispermaceae
Plant: A climber with stems several metres long and with separate male and female flowers.
Flowers: Small, greenish and in axillary compound umbels.
Flowering: December-January.
Fruit: Clusters of shiny, orange-red, globular drupes about 5mm diameter.
Leaves: Alternate, peltate, circular to ovate 5-12cm long and 3-8cm wide with palmate veins. The upper surface is dark green and the underside a pale green.
Habitat: Rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.
Features: Alternate peltate dark green leaves on climbing stems. Shiny orange-red drupes.
Name:
Stephania From Greek stephanos = crown (referring to the style in its crown-like structure).
japonica As the first of the species was collected in Japan.
discolor From Latin dis = between and color = colour (referring to its discolorous leaves).
|
Type |
Climber/Scrambler |
|
|
Flowers |
Form |
Regular, Cluster |
|
|
Colour(s) |
Green |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
4 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
1, 12 |
|
Fruit |
Type |
Drupe |
|
|
Colour |
Orange, Red |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Leaves |
Arrangement |
Alternate |
|
|
Type |
Simple |
|
|
Shape |
Oval, Round |
|
|
Length |
Medium |
|
|
Margins |
Entire |
|
|
Attachment |
Stalked, Stem near |
|
|
|
centre of leaf |
|
|
Other Features |
Discolorous |
|
Bark |
- |
|
|
Habitat |
Rainforest, Wet sclerophyll forest |
|