''Cocculus carolinus'', commonly called the Carolina coralbead, or snailseed, or Margil's Vine, is a perennial vine of the moonseed family (

Cocculus ''Cocculus'' is a genus of 11 species of woody vines and shrubs, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of North America, Asia and Africa. The common name moonseed is also used for the closely related genus '' Menispermum''. Selected s ...

). It is native to North America, where it is found in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and in several states in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from the Southeast to the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. The species' common name derives from the appearance of its small, rounded red fruits, and the rough half-moon shape of its seeds.

Description

''Cocculus carolinus'' is a climbing vine reaching 5 meters or more. It produces ovate or triangle-shaped leaves. The male and female flowers are small and green, appearing on different plants. The bright red fruit, a drupe, appears from June to August. It reaches 8 mm in size. Each fruit has a single seed that resembles a small snail shell, protected by the hard endocarp or the inner section of the ovary wall.''Cocculus carolinus''
Flora of North America File:Cocculus carolinus Arkansas.jpg, ''Cocculus carolinus'' with early flowers

Distribution

This species is native from northern Florida to Mexico, north to North Carolina, Kentucky, southern Illinois and southeast Kansas. Its natural habitat is in rocky woodlands and streamside thickets, particularly in calcareous areas.
MissouriPlants It is a weedy species, and can also be found in disturbed habitats such as fencerows and waste areas.

Cultivation

The flowers are small and plentiful. At a young age Carolina coralbead appear greenish. The seeds need cold stratification of three months. Seeds germinate in 21 to 30 days at 68 °F. The plant blooms in late spring and the fruits, abundant bright red berries, are mature by late summer. Admiring its scarlet fruits, landscapers sometimes allow it to grow on trellises, fences or let it naturally spread among other weeds and shrubs. This plant can be fast-growing and difficult to eradicate.

Chemical components

Through photochemical analysis using spectral and mixed-melting comparison, the stems and leaves of ''Cocculus carolinus'' were found to contain the following compounds: two

cyclitol In organic chemistry, a cyclitol is a cycloalkane containing at least three hydroxyl, each attached to a different ring carbon atom. The general formula for an unsubstituted cyclitol is or where 3 ≤ ''x'' ≤ ''n''. The name is also used for c ...

s, (+) quercitol and (−) viburnitol; a lactone, loliolide; and three

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s, sinoacutine, magnoflorine, and

palmatine Palmatine is a protoberberine alkaloid found in several plants including ''Phellodendron amurense'', ''Coptis Chinensis'' (Rhizoma coptidis, chinese goldthread) and '' Corydalis yanhusuo'', ''Tinospora cordifolia'' (gurjo, heart-leaved moonseed), ...

Legend

The common name for this plant in East Texas is ''Margil's Vine'', referencing a legend involving

Antonio Margil Antonio Margil, OFM (18 August 1657 – 6 August 1726) was a Spanish Franciscan missionary in North and Central America. Life Margil entered the Franciscan Order in his Native city of Valencia, Spain on 22 April 1673. After his ordination to the ...

OFM, the Spanish Franciscan missionary active throughout Texas in the early 18th century.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5139267

carolinus ''Carolinus'' (or ''Karolinus'') is an instructional poem written by 12th century poet Gilles de Paris for future King Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King o ...

Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus