Cissampelos mucronata

This climber seen near the Sani Pass is thought to be Cissampelos mucronata. The leaves are heart-shaped, differing from the more kidney-shaped ones of C. torulosa, also found in KwaZulu-Natal. The velvety plant is woody at the base, its stalked leaves five to seven-veined from the base, the blades ending in hair-like tips.

The male flowers grow in drooping inflorescences, their petals form cup-shapes. The female inflorescences are elongated, subtended by leaf-like bracts. A female flower has only one sepal and one petal. Flowering happens from spring to autumn. The fruits are fleshy, orange-red drupes, hanging in a cluster resembling a bunch of grapes.

The species grows widespread in Africa, while in South Africa only in KwaZulu-Natal and the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Lowveld.

The habitat is forest and thicket near water. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).