Voi,. II.] 



Family 28. 



MOONSEED FAMILY. 



MENISPERMACEAE DC. Prodr. i: 95. 

 MOONSEED FAMII/V. 



93 



1824. 



Climbing or twining woody or herbaceous vines, with alternate entire or 

 lobed leaves, no stipules, and small dioecious panicled racemose or cymose 

 flowers. Sepals 4-12. Petals 6, imbricated in 2 rows, sometimes fewer, or none. 

 Stamens about the same number as the petals. Carpels 3-00 (generally 6), 

 i-ovuled, separate; styles commonly recurved. Fruit drupaceous. Embryo 

 long, curved. 



About 55 genera and 150 species, mainly of tropical distribution, a few extending into the tem- 

 perate zones. 



Petals none. 

 Petals present. 



Stamens 6; drupe red. 



Stamens 12-many; drupe black. 



1. Calycocarpum. 



2. Cebatha. 



3. Menispermum. 



i. CALYCOCARPUM Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. A. i: 48. 1838. 



A high climbing vine, with large petioled palmately lobed leaves, and greenish flowers 

 in long narrow drooping panicles. Sepals 6, oblong, obtuse. Petals none. Stamens about 

 12, nearly equalling the sepals; anthers 2-celled. Pistils 3; stigma laciniate. Drupe oval, 

 the stone flattened and hollowed out on one side. [Greek, cup-fruit, in allusion to the cup- 

 like stone.] 



A monotypic genus of eastern North America. 



i. Calycocarpum Lyoni (Pursh) Nutt. Cup-seed. (Fig. 1647.) 



Menispermum Lyoni Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 371. 

 1814. 



Calycocarpum Lyoni Nutt; A. Gray, Gen. 111. 

 1:76. 1848. 



Climbing to the tops of trees, glabrous or 

 slightly pubescent. Leaves long-petioled, 

 thin, very broadly ovate or nearly orbicular 

 in outline, 5 '-8' long, cordate with a broad 

 round sinus, palmately 5-7-lobed, glabrous 

 above, more or less pubescent on the veins be- 

 neath; lobes ovate or oblong, acute or acumi- 

 nate, repand, dentate or entire; panicles axil- 

 lary, 5'-io' long, loose; flowers 2" broad, 

 strictly dioecious; drupe nearly i' long, black, 

 the stone toothed or erose along the margin 

 of its lateral cavity; pistillate flowers some- 

 times containing abortive stamens. 



In rich woods, Illinois to Missouri and Kan- 

 sas, south to Florida and Louisiana. May-June, 

 the fruit ripe in August. 



2. CEBATHA Forsk. Fl. AEgypt. 171. 1775. 



[GOCCUI.US 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 glo- 

 bose or ovoid, the stone flattened, curved. [Name Arabic.] 



A genus of about 10 species, mainly of tropical regions, two or three in the temperate zones. 



