Menispermaceae
E83167
Menispermaceae is a family of mostly tropical climbing plants known for their often toxic alkaloids and distinctive curved or crescent-shaped seeds.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
plant family
→
taxon → |
| clade |
Angiosperms
→
Eudicots → |
| commonName |
moonseed family
→
|
| containsGenus |
Anamirta
→
Cissampelos → Cocculus → Menispermum → Stephania → Tinospora → |
| distinguishingFeature |
deeply curved endosperm
→
horseshoe-shaped seeds in many species → |
| distribution |
subtropical regions
→
tropical regions → |
| economicImportance |
some species used in traditional medicine
→
source of pharmacologically active compounds → |
| etymology |
derived from Greek words for "moon" and "seed"
→
|
| flowerSex |
dioecious
→
unisexual flowers → |
| flowerSymmetry |
small inconspicuous flowers
→
|
| fruitType |
drupe
→
|
| growthForm |
climbing plants
→
lianas → woody climbers → |
| habitat |
tropical forests
→
woodland margins → |
| kingdom |
Plantae
→
|
| leafArrangement |
alternate leaves
→
|
| leafType |
simple leaves
→
|
| notableChemicalConstituent |
isoquinoline alkaloids
→
|
| notableProperty |
many species are toxic
→
|
| notableSpecies |
Cocculus carolinus
→
Menispermum canadense → Stephania tetrandra → Tinospora cordifolia → |
| notableUse |
source of arrow poisons
→
source of medicinal alkaloids → |
| order |
Ranunculales
→
|
| photosyntheticPathway |
C3
→
|
| pollination |
insect-pollinated
→
|
| reproduction |
sexual reproduction via seeds
→
|
| seedDispersal |
animal-dispersed fruits
→
|
| seedShape |
crescent-shaped seeds
→
curved seeds → |
| taxonRank |
family
→
|
| typeGenus |
Menispermum
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Ranunculales
→
|
includesFamily |