Tinospora crispa Miers

Climber

Tinospora species are succulent woody climbing shrubs, generally sending down long aerial roots from the host trees, where they spread. Bark corky or papery, exfoliating on drying. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate, subcordate, margin entire or dentate, not peltate, basal veins 3-7, lateral veins 1-3 pairs, petioles geniculate and swollen near the base. Inflorescences axillary or on old leafless branches, pseudoracemes, pseudopaniculate, thyrsoid, few flowered, peduncled. Flowers unisexual, pedicellate. Male flowers, sepals 6, in 2 series, inner series largest, outer series smallest, free, imbricate, subelliptic, apex acute, petals 3-6, free, obovate, apex cuneate, lateral edges inrolled, fleshy, stamens 6, filaments free, anthers loculed, subextrorse, obliquely or longitudinally dehisced. Female flowers sepals and petals similar as in males, staminodes 6, subulate, carpels 3, ellipsoid-curved, style short, thick, stigma reflexed, peltate. Fruits drupes, subglobose or ellipsoid, columnar carpophore, endocarp hard, bony, dorsally convex, often verrucose, deeply ruminate, ventral side with central aperture, Seeds curved or half moon shape, endospermic, cotyledons flattened, leaflike, radicle short.

Tinospora species are dioecious i.e., male (staminate) flowers on one plant, and female (pistillate) flowers on another plant. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: February-June.

Seeds may be dispersed by barochory i.e., gravitational dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

A large woody succulent climbing shrub, about 15 m long. Bark dark brown or dark olive brown, corky, young shoots glabrous, stem striate, warted and strongly tuberculate, scattered with lenticels, branches striate, generally sending down very long aerial roots with bitter milky sap, from the host trees, where they spread. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate, suborbicular, 5-15 x 2.5-10 cm across, base cordate or shallow auriculate, margin entire, apex acuminate, chartaceous, membranous, thin, green, glabrous above, paler glabrous, domatia absent beneath, strong basal veins 5-7, impressed above and prominent beneath, veinlets fine and close, petiole glabrous, about 5-15 cm long. Inflorescence axillary or on old leafless stems, slender, pseudo-racemose cymes, slender usually unbranched or 1-3 flowered fascicles, about 10-25 cm long. Flowers unisexual, fascicled, greenish yellow, pedicellate. Male flowers, greenish yellow, fascicled, pedicels slender, glabrous, about 2-4 mm long, sepals 6, in 2 series, inner series larger, ovate, unguiculate, about 3-4 mm long, outer series smaller, free, imbricate, subelliptic, apex acute, about 1-1.5 mm long, petals 3, free, usually only the outer series developed, inners series absent or minute, stamens 6, free, filaments clavate, about 2 mm long, anthers loculed, subextrorse, obliquely or longitudinally dehisced. Female flowers, sepals and petals similar as in male flowers, staminodes 6, subulate, carpels 3, subglobose or ellipsoid, about 2 mm long, style short, stigma lobed. Fruits drupes, subglobose or ellipsoid, glabrous, shining, bright orange when ripe, glabrous about 2 cm across, stalks about 4-7 mm long, pericarp thin, style scar subterminal, endocarp bony, subrotund or broadly elliptic about 11-13 x 7-9 mm long, rounded, obscurely rugulose or smooth with prominent dorsal ridge with ventral aperture. Seeds curved or half moon shape, endospermic, cotyledons flattened.

Susceptible to nematodes and insect pests.

Riparian Forests

Mixed deciduous forests, altitude up to 900 m.

Used in folk medicine, for treating fever and jaundice. Stem powder mixed with fodder of cattle and horses for stimulating appetite.