''Cissus tiliacea'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of the ''

Cissus ''Cissus'' is a genus of approximately 350 species of lianas (Woody plant, woody vines) in the grape family (Vitaceae). They have a cosmopolitan distribution, though the majority are to be found in the tropics. Uses Medicinal ''Cissus quadrang ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the

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 ...

family. It is also incorrectly known as ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...

'' ''tuberosa''.

Distribution

This species is native to

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, Mexico, where it can be found in rocky outcrops at an elevation of 5000 feet.

Description

''Cissus tiliacea'' has a caudiciform stem that can grow up to ten inches in diameter and yards long with additional

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

vines that can reach lengths of five yards or longer. During droughts, the vines die back leaving the

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

, which is normally mottled green and gray in color.

Cultivation

This plant can tolerate high heat and full sun to light shade exposure. During the summer ''C. tiliacea'' should be watered regularly and drained well. During the winter months, when

dormancy Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be clo ...

occurs, the plant requires much less water and should only be water once every two to four weeks to prevent excessive drying. Frost damage occurs at 28 °F so the plant should be maintained at a temperature above this, preferably in the 40-50 °F range. USA

hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

9b-11 are recommended for best growth."''Cissus tuberosa'' De Candolle." Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities. University of Connecticut.

References

External links

# "''Cissus tuberosa'' De Candolle." Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities. The University of Connecticut. tiliacea Caudiciform plants {{Vitaceae-stub