''Ampelocissus xizangensis'' (xi zang suan lian teng in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

) is a deciduous vine in the family

Vitaceae The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). The family name is derived from the ge ...

, native to

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

s in the high valleys of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal, at elevations about 2000 m high. Its

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is a toponym derived from the place it was collected from, Xizang, which is the Chinese name for the Tibet Autonomous Region. It was first scientifically described in 1997 by the

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, Li Chao-Luang.

Description

Branches and tendrils

The

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s of ''A. xizangensis'' are woody. Its climbing branchlets, which are cylindrical and gradually tapering, have longitudinal ridges and sometimes a slight, pale wooliness. Dividing off from them are characteristically bifurcated tendrils, which appear as twisting cork-screws. These grow towards and slowly grip whatever tall, stationary object they happen upon. This action, called

circumnutation Nutation refers to the bending movements of stems, roots, leaves and other plant organs caused by differences in growth in different parts of the organ. Circumnutation refers specifically to the circular movements often exhibited by the tips of gr ...

, has the real effect of securing and pulling the branches higher, thus enabling its leaves exposure to the sun for photosynthesis. The whole process is repeated continuously throughout the life-cycle of the plant.

Foliage

The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

of ''A. xizangensis'' are simple. Leaflets are typically between 23 – 24 cm long, broadly ovate, cordate at their bases, rounded and obtuse at their apexes, and finely-toothed on their margins. Each has 5 basal veins, and 4 or 5 pairs of lateral veins. Smaller veins are barely noticeable on the leaf's upper (adaxial) surface, while being slightly prominent on the under (abaxial) side. They are intricately downy with brown tomentum adaxially, and covered in somewhat long and straight, slightly stiff but weak,

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

s abaxially. The petiole is about 15 cm long, and only covered sparsely in brownish, arachnoid hairs, which tend to be shed over time.

Flowers

The flower buds of ''A. xizangensis'' emerge elliptic, with a rounded apex, and measure 2 to 2.5 mm in length, blooming in July. The pedicel, which is 1-1.5 mm long, wears a sparse coat of glandular hairs. The

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

is nearly hairless, has pendulous lobes and is generally saucer-like in shape.

Petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are smooth, ovate-oblong, and measure 1.5-1.8 mm. There are 5

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s, each topped by an oval anther. The lower portion of the

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

adnate Adnate may refer to: * Adnation, in botany, the fusion of two or more whorls of a flower * Adnate, in mycology, a classification of lamellae (gills) * Conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are ...

to the flower's

disk Disk or disc may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a geometric shape * Disk storage Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other uses * Disk (functional analysis), a subset of a vector sp ...

, which is lobed and clearly visible. The style is short with ridges, about ten in number.

Fruit

The fruit of ''A. xizangensis'' is a one- to four- seeded, grape-like

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3338584 xizangensis Plants described in 1997 Flora of China Flora of Tibet Flora of Nepal