Menispermaceae

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 with some 440 species, which are distributed throughout low-lying tropical areas with some species present in temperate and arid regions.

==Description== Twining, ever-growing and woody climbing plants, winding anti-clockwise (Stephania winds clockwise) and vines; rarely upright shrubs or small trees. Rarer still herbaceous plants or epiphytes (Stephania cyanantha), perennial or deciduous, with simple to uni-serrate hairs. Alternating, spiral leaves; simple, whole, dentate, lobed to palmatifid (bi- o trifoliate in Burasaia), frequently peltate, petiolated, petiole frequently pulvinate at both extremes, without stipules, sometimes with spines derived from the petioles (Antizoma), venation, parallelodromous, penninerved or frequently palmatinerved, bifacial, rarely isofacial; in Angelisia and Anamirta, with hydathodes derived from trichomes. Domatia present in five genera as pits or hair tufts. Various types of stomata, frequently cyclocytic. Rapidly-growing stems with trilacunar nodes. Phylloclades are present in Cocculus balfourii. Dioecious plants, sometimes perfect flowers in Tiliacora acuminata and Parabaena denudata. Inflorescences in racemiform, paniculate or thyrse with partial inflorescences in a capituliform cyme or pseudo-umbel; multifloral, rarely single or paired flowers; axillary, or on sharp branches or cauliflorous trunks; females frequently less branched. Flowers small, regular to zygomorphic (Antizoma, Cyclea, Cissampelos); cyclic to irregularly spiral; hypogynous, basically trimers. Receptacle sometimes with developed gynophore. Sepals (1-)3-12 or more, usually in (1-)2(-many) whorls of three, rarely six; free to slightly fused; imbricate or valvate, sometimes less numerous in female flowers. Petals numbering 0–6, in two whorls of three, rarely of six; free or fused, frequently holding the opposite stamen; sometimes less numerous in female flowers. Androecium of (1-)3-6(-40) stamens free of the perianth, free or fused together in 2–5, fasciculate or monadelphous, introrse, dehiscence along longitudinal, oblique or transversal slits. Female flowers sometimes with staminodes. Gynoecium apocarpous, superior, of (1-)3-6(-32) carpels, usually oppositipetalous, stigma apical, dry, papillous, ovules 2 per carpel, anatropous, hemianatropous to campilotropous, uni- or bitegmic, crassinucellate, the superior epitropous and fertile, the inferior apotropous and abortive, placentation marginal ventral. Male flowers sometimes with carpelodes. Fruits are compound; each unit in a straight or flattened, asymmetric drupe; more or less stipitate (rarely only one developed); non coalescing; exocarp sub-coriaceous or membranous, mesocarp pulpy, fleshy or fibrous, endocarp woody to petrous, rough, tuberous, echinate or ribbed, often with a recess in the placenta called a condyle. Seeds slightly curved or spiral (Limaciopsis, Spirospermum), with endosperm absent or present, totally or only ventrally ruminate or not ruminate, oleaginous, embryo straight or curved, with two cotyledons flat or cylindrical, leafy or fleshy, divaricate or applied. Pollen tricolpate, without operculum nor ribs, tectum perreticulate columellate, endexine granular; or the pollen can be colporate (Abuta), syncolporate (Tinospora), pororate or hexa-cryptoporate (with 6 apertures). Chromosomal number: x = 11, 13, 19, 25. 2n can be up to 52.