In the beginning, Linnaeus described the genus Cissus L. However, John Baker (1868) included the genus into an all-inclusive concept genus Vitis L in his treatment of the African Vitaceae (formerly Ampelideae). On the other hand, William Harvey (1860) did recognize Cissus L. as distinct from Vitis L. and divided Cissus into five informal groups for the South African species. Jules Planchon (1887) in a revision of the family, restricted Vitis L. to consist only of the species with five parted flowers with the petals deciduous as cap and placed all the other species in a number of reinstated genera and some new creations of his own. Planchon (1887) defined the reinstated genus Cissus L. to include those species with four parted flowers and persistent corolla. He divided the genus into three sections, Eucissus, Cayratia and Cyphostemma on the basis of floral differences. Francois Gagnepain (1911) reinstated Cayratia as a separate genus for a number of Asiatic species. Arthur Alston (1931) raised Cyphostemma to generic rank and stated that it was to contain 51, mostly African species but he formally only recognized the Indian species Cyphostemma setosa (Roxburgh) Alston for the genus. Cyphostemma setosa (Roxburgh) Alston automatically becomes the type species for the new genus. Bernard Descoings (1960) did a thorough review of the African species of Cissus L. and found Cyphostemma (Planchon) Alston to be consistently different in flora features. He transferred over 200 species to Cyphostemma, other authors added more and new species continue to be named.
Cytological studies have confirmed that Cissus, Cayratia and Cyphostemma should be recognized as separate genera. Each of the genera has a different basic chromosome number (karyotype) (Lavie (1979), Singh & Shetty (1986)).
There is the popular misconception that Cyphostemma is distinguished from Cissus by being pachycaul shrubs. The truth is that both genera include a wide variety of growth forms from herbaceous perennials to vines to shrubs and the two can only be reliably distinguished on the basis of the flowers and inflorescence. The genus Cayratia consists entirely of tendril bearing vines and is without tuberous or caudiciform species.
As presently defined, Cissus is still a widespread genus and is well represented in both the New World as well as Old World Tropics. Caudiciform and stem succulent species are found in both the Old World and New World Tropics.
The genus Cyphostemma is found only in the Old World, with the greatest concentration of species in Africa and Madagascar. The genus is represented in India, Sri Lanka and Burma by Cyphostemma setosa (Roxburgh) Alston and C.auriculata (Roxburgh) Singh & Shetty. No stem succulent species have been reported in Cyphostemma.
| Genus | ||||
| Cissus | conical to ovoid | thickened annular disc | ||
| Cayratia | depressed globose | thin annular disc | ||
| Cyphostemma | cylindrical or flask-shaped and constricted near the middle, often inflated at apex | disc divided into 4 separate barrel-shaped glands |
Cissus Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 117 (1753), Genera Plantarum (ed. 5) 53 (1754)
type: Cissus vitiginea L.
syn. Cissus section Eucissus Planchon in A. & C. De Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 5 (2): 471 (1887)
___Saelanthus Forsskal, Fl. Aegypt. Arab. : CV, 33-35 (1776)
lectotype: Saelanthus quadragonus Forsskal (= Cissus quadrangularis L.)
___Spondylantha C. Presl, Reliquiae Haenkeanae 2 (1): 35, t. 53 (1831)
type: Spondylantha aphylla C. Presl (=Cissus verticillata (L.) Nicolson & C.E. Jarvis)
___Irsiola P.Browne ex Rafinesque, Sylva Telluriana 86 (1838) not P.Browne (1756)
type: Irsiola sicyoides (L.) Rafinesque (= Cissus sicyoides L.)
___Gonoloma Rafinesque, Sylva Telluriana 86 (1838)
type: Gonoloma alata Rafinesque (= Cissus trifoliata L.)
___Kemoxis Rafinesque, Sylva Telluriana 86 (1838)
type: Kemoxis acida (L.) Raf. (= Cissus trifoliata L.)
___Adenopetalum Turczininow, Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou 31(2): 417 (1858)
type: Adenopetalum palmatum Turczininow (= Cissus striata Ruiz & Pavon)
___Cissus group Simplicifoliae Harvey in Harvey & Sonder, Flora Capensis 1: 249 (1860)
lectotype: Cissus capensis (Thunberg) Willdenow
___Pterocissus Urban & Ekman, Arkiv för Botanik utgivet av K. Svenska Vetenskapsakademien 20A(5): 20 (1926)
type: Pterocissus mirabilis Urban & Ekman (= Cissus mirabilis (Urban & Ekman) Lombardi)
about 250 species. widespread in tropics and subtropics of both the Old World and New World.
Cyphostemma (Planchon) Alston in Trimen, Hand-Book Fl. Ceylon 6 (suppl.): 53 (1931)
type: Cyphostemma setosum (Roxburgh) Alston (Cissus setosus Roxburgh)
syn. Cissus section Cyphostemma Planchon in A. & C. De Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 5 (2): 472 (1887) as "Cyphostomma"
___Cissus subgenus Cyphostemma (Planchon) Gilg & Brandt in Engler Bot. Jahrb. 46: 443, 488 (1912)
___Cissus group Digitatae Harvey in Harvey & Sonder, Flora Capensis 1: 252 (1860)
lectotype: Cissus cirrhosa Thunberg
___Cissus group Pinnatae Harvey in Harvey & Sonder, Flora Capensis 1: 253 (1860)
type: Vitis natalitium Szyszylowicz (Cissus orientalis sensu Harvey not Lamarck)
about 250 species. Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, Comoro Is., Mascarene Is, India, Sri Lanka, Burma.
Cayratia Jussieu, Dict. Sci. Nat. 10 (1818) nom. conserv.
type: Cayratia pedata (Loureiro) Jussieu
syn. Cissus section Cayratia (Jussieu) Planchon in A. & C. De Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 5 (2): 471 (1887)
___Cissus subgenus Cayratia (Jussieu) Gilg & Brandt in Engler Bot. Jahrb. 46: 443, 486 (1912)
___Columella Loureiro, Flora Cochinchinensis 64, 85 (1790) nom. rej., not Vahl (1805) nom. conserv.
___Causonia Rafinesque, Sylva Telluriana 87 (1838)
type: Causonia japonica (Thunberg) Rafinesque (= Cayratia japonica (Thunberg) Gagnepain)
about 63 species. Africa, Madagascar, India, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Caledonia, Pacific islands.
Alston, A.H.G. (1931) Vitaceae in Trimen, H. (ed.) A HAND-BOOK TO THE FLORA OF CEYLON, vol. 6, suppl. 53. Dulac & Co., London.
Baker, J. G. (1868) Ampelideae in Oliver, D. FLORA OF TROPICAL AFRICA 1: 385-416.
Descoings, B. (1960) UN GENRE MECONNU DE VITACEES: COMPREHENSION ET DISTINCTION DES GENRES 'CISSUS' L. ET 'CYPHOSTEMMA' (PLANCH.) ALSTON. Notulae Systematicae (Paris) 16: 113-125.
Descoings, B. (1962) CYPHOSTEMMA (VITACEES) NOUVEAUX DE MADAGASCAR. Bull. Soc. Bot. France 109: 266-276, 2 pl.
Descoings, B. (1963) CYPHOSTEMMA (VITACEES) NOUVEAUX DE MADAGASCAR (2). Bull. Soc. Bot. France 110: 392-397. (reprinted in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 111: 173-177 (1964))
Descoings, B. (1967) NOTE RECTIFICATIVE A PROPOS DE LA NOMENCLATURE DES CYPHOSTEMMA (VITACEES). Naturalia Monspeliensia, Series Botanique 18: 217-230.
Descoings, B. (1997) NOTE SUR DEUX CYPHOSTEMMA (VITACEES) CRASSULESCENTES DE MADAGASCAR. Journ. Bot. Soc. Bot. France 1: 69-73, pl. 1.
Gagnepain, F. (1911) UN GENRE MECONNU: CLASSIFICATION DES CISSUS ET CAYRATIA. Notulae Systematicae (Paris) 1 (11): 339-362.
Hardy, D. & Reteif, E. (1981) THE CAUDICIFORM CYPHOSTEMMA SPECIES FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA. Cact. & Succ. Journ. Amer. 53 (4): 163-166, 6 figs.
Harvey, W.H. (1860) Ampelideae in Harver, W.H. & Sonder, O., FLORA CAPENSIS 1: 248-253.
Jackes, B.R. (1987) REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN VITACEAE, 2. CAYRATIA JUSS. Austrobaileya 2: 365-379.
Lavie, P. (1979) CARYOSYSTEMATIQUE DES VITACEAE: 1. CISSUS L., CYPHOSTEMMA (PLANCH.) ALST., RHOICISSUS PLANCH. Adansonia 19(2): 175 - 198.
Lawrence, G.H.M. (1959) CISSUS AND RHOICISSUS IN CULTIVATION. Baileya 7 (2): 45-54, figs. 12-14.
Lombardi, J.A. (1995) TYPIFICATION OF NAMES OF SOUTH AMERICAN CISSUS (VITACEAE). Taxon 44 (2): 193-206.
Lombardi, J.A. (1997) TYPES OF NAMES IN AMPPELOCISSUS AND CISSUS (VITACEAE) REFERRING TO TAXA IN THE CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AND N. AMERICA. Taxon 46 (3): 423-432.
Planchon, J.E. (1887) Ampelideae in De Candolle, A. & C. MONOGRAPHIE PHANEROGAMARUM. vol. 5 (2). Masson, Paris.
Retief, E. (1991) THE GENUS CYPHOSTEMMA (PLANCH.) ALSTON IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. Aloe 28 (2): 40-41, 2 figs.
Singh, P. & Shetty, B.V. (1986) SOME NOMENCLATURAL NOTES ON THE VITACEAE OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT. Taxon 35 (3): 596-597.