Cissampelos ciliata Rusby
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Authority
Rusby, Henry H. 1927. Descriptions of New Genera and Species of Plants Collected on the Mulford Biological Exploration of the Amazon Valley 1921-1922. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 7: 205-387.
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Family
Menispermaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Stems, petioles, etc., sparsely pilose with long, white, divergent hairs, the leaf-surface sparsely strigose with similar hairs. Stems very slender, strongly 5-sulcate. Petioles 3 to 6 cm. long, strongly grooved on the upper surface, peltately attached about one fourth of the way from the base of the leaf. Blades 5 to 10 cm. long, and about as wide, ovate, with broad, nearly truncate base and obtuse but setose summit, entire, ciliate, thin, pale-green, especially beneath, the venation slender, coarsely reticulate, radiately 10 to 12-nerved, the ultimate branches of the nerves terminating in the margin. Staminate panicles fascicled, 3 or 4 cm. long, the peduncles and branches filiform, the fully expanded flowers about 2 mm. broad, setose with long shining hairs. Pistilate racemes nearly 2 dm. long, including the filiform peduncle, loosely flowered, the bracts very unequal, the largest about 1 cm. broad, subrotund, thin, pale, ciliate, the flowers mostly about 5, short-pedicelled. Fruit brown, 6 or 7 mm. broad, subrotund.
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Discussion
This plant was first collected by Mr. Bang, at Coripata, March 4, 1894 (wo. 2074) and doubtfully referred to C. tropaeolifolia DC. It was collected twice on the Mulford Exploration: Eurrenabaque, 1,000 feet, M. Cardenas, November 24, 1921 (no. 1797) and at the same place, H. H. Rusby, October 6, 1921 (no. 811). All these specimens perfectly maintain the specific characters.