Stephania abyssinica (Quart.-Dill. & A.Rich.) Walp.

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Stephania abyssinica is a species of vine native to southern Africa. it is the only member of its genus found in the region. Two subspecies are recognised.

Stephania abyssinica - Wikipedia

Description

Stephania abyssinica is a herbaceous vine with a woody base and a stem covered with a thin bark. The slender branches are either smooth or hairy when they are still young. The leaf shape is rounded at the base and tips, with a leaf blade of 50-200 x 40-130 mm. The leaf texture is smooth and papery and the leaves are slightly discolored. The leaves are palmately veined with 8-10 basal nerves The petiole is 40-120 mm long and is attached on the underside of the leaf. Male and female flowers are unisexual, on separate plants (dioecious), small and inconspicuous. Male flowers have 6 to 8 sepals that measure 1.2 to 2.5 x 0.6 to 1.2 mm, they are 0.8-1.2 mm long, purplish with a violet base. Female flowers have 3-4 sepals. Fruits are drupes, subspherical and flattened, 5-8 mm in width, smooth, dull orange when ripe. Flowers are produced from spring until early autumn (September to April).

Two varieties are recognized: var. abyssinica with branchlets petioles, abaxial leaf surface and sepals that are hairless and var. tomentella in which they are densely pubescent to tomentose.

Conservation Status

According to the SANBI Red List, both varieties of Stephania abyssinica are assessed as Least Concern (LC), they are not threatened.

Distribution and habitat

In South Africa, Stephania abyssinica is distributed in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Free State provinces. It is mostly found in grassland, preferably in moist, shady places and along riverbanks. They also grow in full sunlight and high humidity, on the ground at the edge of the forest or in areas that are disturbed next to the roads. This species also occurs in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola and northwards to Eritrea and Guinea.

Derivation of name and historical aspects

The genus Stephania was named after Christian Stephan (1757-1814). Stephan was a director of the Forestry Institute at Petersburg and a professor of botany and chemistry in Moscow. The species name abyssinica means ‘from Abyssinia’, an old name for Ethiopia. It is commonly known as the tale-telling plant in English and verklikkerplant in Afrikaans because it is used as a charm to discover secrets and find lost things. The variety name tomentella means ‘densely short haired’. Stephania abyssinica belongs to the Menispermaceae, commonly called the moonseed family, a large family with about 70 genera and 450 species. Stephania is a large genus consisting of 30 to 60 species distributed in some parts of Africa, tropical and subtropical Asia.

Ecology

Stephania abyssinica leaves can be colonized by microscopic mites, arachnids that belong to the family Eriophyidae. The blisters form on the underside of the leaf in response to the feeding insects. Groups of mites remain hidden inside each blister-cavity.

Stephania abyssinica | PlantZAfrica (sanbi.org)

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