4726.000 Cardiospermum L. - Heart-seeds

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial climbing herbs, stems ridged. Stipules small, caducous. Leaves alternate, compound (2-ternate to apparently pinnate). Inflorescence axillary, at the apex of a relatively long peduncle, with a pair of coiled tendrils just below. Flowers zygomorphic. Bracts minute. Sepals 4; lateral small, the other 2 larger. Petals 4. Stamens 8. Ovary 3-locular. Fruit an inflated membranous capsule. Seed black with a white, ovate to reniform (sometimes ± heart-shaped) hilum.

Derivation of name: Cardio: heart, spermum: a seed, referring to the heart-shaped hilum on the seed

Worldwide: 14 spp, mainly tropical America, but with 3 spp. widespread in the tropics.

Zimbabwe: 4 taxa.

Links to taxa: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

Species	FZ divisions	Content
corindum L.	N,W,E,S	Description, Image
grandiflorum Sw.	N,C,E	Description, Image
halicacabum L. var. halicacabum	N,C,E,S	Description, Image
halicacabum L. var. microcarpum (Kunth) Blume	N,W,E,S	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Cardiospermum:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Cardiospermum
Flora of Caprivi: Cardiospermum
Flora of Malawi: Cardiospermum
Flora of Mozambique: Cardiospermum
Flora of Zambia: Cardiospermum
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Cardiospermum

External websites:

ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Cardiospermum
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Cardiospermum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Cardiospermum
Wikipedia: Cardiospermum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cardiospermum
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Cardiospermum