GENUS 2. 



MOONSEED FAMILY. 



2. EPIBATERIUM Forst. Char. Gen. 107. 1776. 

 [CEBATHA Forsk. Fl. AEgypt. 171 Hyponym. 1775.] 



[CoccuLus DC. Syst. Veg. i: 515. 1818.] 



Climbing vines with small dioecious panicled flowers. Sepals 6, arranged in 2 series. 

 Petals 6, shorter than the sepals, concave. Stamens 6; anthers 4-celled or 4-lobed. Pistils 

 3-6, sometimes accompanied by sterile filaments ; styles erect ; stigma entire. Drupe globose 

 or ovoid, the stone flattened, curved. [Greek, referring to the climbing habit.] 



A genus of about 1 1 species, mainly of tropical regions, two or three in the temperate zones. 

 Type soecies : Epibatcrium pendulum Forst. 



i. Epibaterium carolinum (L.) Britton. 

 Carolina Moonseed. Fig. 1963. 



Menispermum carolinum L. Sp. PL 340. 1753. 

 Cocculus carolinus DC. Syst. Veg. i : 524. 1818. 

 Cebatha Carolina Britton, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 162. 1894. 



A slender vine, trailing, or climbing to the height 

 of several feet, the stem glabrous or pubescent. 

 Leaves broadly ovate, 2'-4' long, cordate or rounded 

 at the base, entire or lobed, acute or obtuse, some- 

 times densely pubescent beneath, mainly glabrous 

 above; petioles slender, i'-4' long; panicles axillary 

 and terminal, loose, i'-s' long; flowers about i" 

 broad ; drupe red, laterally flattened, 2"-3" in diam- 

 eter, the stone curved into a closed spiral, crested on 

 the sides and back. 



Along streams, Virginia to Illinois and Kansas, south 

 to Florida and Texas. Red-berry moonseed. June-Aug. 



3. MENISPERMUM [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 



High climbing vines, with small whitish panicled flowers. Sepals 4-8, arranged in 2 

 series, longer than the 6-8 petals. Stamens 12-24. Anthers 4-celled. Pistils 2-4, inserted 

 on a slightly elevated receptacle and generally accompanied by 6 sterile filaments. Drupe 

 nearly globular, or ovoid, laterally flattened, the stone curved into a spiral and crested on the 

 sides and back. [Greek, moonseed.] 



A genus of 2 species, the typical one native of eastern North America, the other of eastern Asia. 



i. Menispermum canadense L. Canada 



Moonseed. Fig. 1964. 

 Menispermum canadense L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 



Stem climbing over bushes or walls, 6-i2 

 in length, slender, slightly pubescent, or gla- 

 brous. Leaves slender-petioled, very broadly 

 ovate, 4'-8' wide, cordate or sometimes nearly 

 truncate at base, acuminate, acute or obtuse, 

 entire or with 3-7 lobes, pale beneath, peltate 

 near the base, although the petiole is sometimes 

 inserted so near the margin that this char- 

 acter is not apparent; flowers white, 2" wide; 

 panicles loose, bracteolate; drupe globose- 

 oblong, 3"-4" in diameter, the stone spirally 

 curved. 



In woods along streams, western Quebec to 

 Manitoba, south to Georgia, Nebraska and Arkan- 

 sas. Ascends to 2600 ft. in Virginia. Bunches of 

 fruit bluish black, with the aspect of small grapes. 

 Texas or yellow sarsaparilla. Yellow parilla. 

 June-July. 



