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Ancistrocladus
Ancistrocladus heyneanus
γ’γ³γ·γΉγγγ―γ©γγΉ
A woody climbing plant distributed in tropical Asia and Africa, belonging to a monotypic family with only one genus. It climbs by hooking onto other objects with its hook-shaped branch tips. A rare plant cultivated only in botanical gardens in Japan.
Identification Points
- βBranch tips curl into hooks that catch onto other objects
- βLeaves are alternate, elliptical, and coriaceous (leathery)
- βSmall white to pale pink flowers borne in panicles
Habitat
Tropical forests (botanical gardens in Japan)
Season
Year-round (tropical)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Vine
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Round
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Petal count
Many
Stipules
Present
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Ovary position
Half-inferior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionγ’γ³γ·γΉγγγ―γ©γγΉη§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Ancistrocladaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 50 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Ancistrocladaceae belongs to Caryophyllales. The hook-shaped branches used for mechanical attachment climbing are considered a specialized organ of single evolutionary origin.
View on evolution timeline βSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification