Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek mene 'crescent moon' and sperma 'seed') is a family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the 'tube curare' form of the dart poison curare, is derived from the South American liana Chondrodendron tomentosum, which belongs to this family. Several other South American genera belonging to the family have been used to prepare the 'pot' and 'calabash' forms of curare. The family contains 81 genera which are distributed throughout low-lying tropical areas with some species present in temperate and arid regions.

Description

Menispermaceae are rapidly growing, twining,

Fossil record

The Middle Cretaceous genus Callicrypta from Siberia has been placed into Menispermaceae.

Phylogeny and internal classification

The APG IV system (2016; unchanged from the prior systems of 1998, 2003, and 2009) recognizes this family and places it with the eudicots order Ranunculales. Their trimerous flower structure is similar to the Lardizabalaceae and Berberidaceae, although they differ from them in other important characteristics. The APW (Angiosperm Phylogeny Website) considers that they form part of the Order Ranunculales, and that they are a sister group on the branch formed by the Lardizabalaceae and Berberidaceae families in a reasonably advanced clade of the order. there wasn't sufficient data from genetic studies to evaluate subfamily and tribal division into five tribes (see Kessler, 1993, in the References section). As such, division was fundamentally based on morphologic characteristics of the seeds with doubts as to whether the tribes are monophyletic. Further molecular research compiled and conducted by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has clarified many of the interrelationships of the family.

Chasmantheroideae

Burasaieae

  • Aspidocarya <small>J. D. Hooker & Thomson</small>
  • Borismene <small>Barneby</small>
  • Burasaia <small>Thouars</small>
  • Calycocarpum <small>Torrey & A. Gray</small>
  • Chasmanthera <small>Hochst.</small>
  • †Chandlera <small>Scott</small>
  • Elephantomene <small>Barneby & Krukoff</small> (including Cionomene)
  • Elissarrhena <small>Miers</small>
  • Hypserpa <small>Miers</small>
  • Legnephora <small>Miers</small>
  • Orthomene
  • Parapachygone <small>Forman</small>
  • Pericampylus <small>Miers</small>
  • Rupertiella <small>Wei Wang & R. Ortiz</small>
  • Sarcopetalum <small>F. Mueller</small>
  • Telitoxicum <small>Moldenke</small>

Cissampelidae

  • Antizoma <small>Miers</small>
  • Botryodiscia
  • Cissampelos <small>L.</small>
  • Cyclea <small>Wight</small>
  • Perichasma <small>Miers</small>
  • Stephania <small>Loureiro</small>

Limacieae

  • Limacia <small>Loureiro</small>

Menispermeae

  • Menispermum <small>L.</small>
  • Sinomenium <small>Diels</small>

Pachygoneae

  • Cebatha
  • Cocculus <small>de Candolle</small>
  • Haematocarpus <small>Miers</small>
  • Hyperbaena <small>Bentham</small>
  • Nephroia <small>Lour.</small>
  • Pachygone <small>Miers</small>

Spirospermeae

  • Limaciopsis <small>Engler</small>
  • Rhaptonema <small>Miers</small>
  • Spirospermum <small>Thouars</small>
  • Strychnopsis <small>Baillon</small>

Tiliacoreae

  • Albertisia <small>Beccari</small>
  • Anisocycla <small>Baillon</small>
  • Beirnaertia <small>Troupin</small>
  • Carronia <small>F. Mueller</small>
  • Chondrodendron <small>Ruiz & Pavón</small>
  • Curarea <small>Barneby & Krukoff</small>
  • Eleutharrhena <small>Forman</small>
  • Georgesia
  • Macrococculus <small>Beccari</small>
  • Macrophragma
  • Pleogyne <small>Miers</small>
  • Pycnarrhena <small>J. D. Hooker & Thomson</small>
  • Sciadotenia <small>Miers</small>
  • Synclisia <small>Bentham & J. D. Hooker</small>
  • Syrrheonema <small>Miers</small>
  • Tiliacora <small>Colebrooke</small>
  • Triclisia <small>Bentham & J. D. Hooker</small>
  • Ungulipetalum <small>Moldenke</small>

;Incertae sedis

  • †Callicrypta

<gallery>

File:Menispermum canadense, 2015-06-02, Frick Park, 02.jpg|Menispermum canadense, foliage and flowers. Frick Park, Pittsburgh.

File:Moonseed fruit 1.jpg|Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed) : ripe fruit and crescent moon-shaped seeds.

File:R. Bentley & H. Trimen, Medicinal Plants Wellcome L0019166.jpg|Chondrodendron tomentosum : Coloured plate from Bentley and Trimen's Medicinal Plants

File:Abuta selloana.jpg|The Abuta species A. selloana : line drawing from Engler's Das Pflanzenreich.

File:Cocculus orbiculatus HRM.jpg|Cocculus orbiculatus in fruit. Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid.

File:Anamirta cocculus - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-157.jpg|Anamirta cocculus : illustration from Köhler's Medizinal Pflanzen.

File:Anomospermum schomburgkii.jpg|Anomospermum : A. schomburgkii : anatomical study from the Flora Brasiliensis of von Martius and Eichler.

File:Cissampelos pareira Blanco2.432.jpg|Cissampelos pareira: illustration from Blanco's Flora de Filipinas.

File:Coscinium fenestratum.jpg|Coscinium fenestratum 'yellow vine' : plate from Curtis's Botanical Magazine.

File:Stephania venosa GotBot 2015 003.jpg|The Stephania species S. venosa in flower, Gothenburg Botanical Garden.

File:Stephania venosa (Blume) Spreng.jpg|Thai villagers harvesting large, medicinal root tuber of Stephania venosa.

File:McKay Stephania japonica 32474252976 2f27eb34ce o.jpg|Stephania japonica in fruit, Mc.Kay Reserve, NSW, Australia.

File:Jateorhiza palmata - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-080.jpg|Jateorhiza palmata illustration from Köhler's Medizinal Pflanzen.

File:Tinospora cordifolia.jpg|Foliage of Tinospora cordifolia.

</gallery>

References

  • links at CSDL
  • Menispermaceae of Mongolia in FloraGREIF
  • Map