Cayratia pedata

Cayratia pedata
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Vitales
Family:	Vitaceae
Genus:	Cayratia
Species:	C. pedata
Binomial name
Cayratia pedata (Lam.) Juss. ex Gagnep.
Synonyms
Cissus pedata Lam. Vitis pedata (Lam.) Vahl ex Wall.

Cayratia pedata, popularly known as birdfoot grapevine, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Vitaceae.

Description

Cayratia pedata is a woody climber with a cylindrical stem that grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It has wiry, coiled tendrils and leaves divided into five to seven smooth, toothed leaflets. The small greenish-yellow to whitish-yellow flowers, about 3 mm across, are borne in branched clusters up to 10 cm long. The fruits are round, creamy-white berries, each containing one or two flat, semicircular seeds.

Flowering

March to June.

Distribution

The native range of the species is India to China (Yunnan, Guangxi) and Jawa. ^[3]

Uses

Leaf is used in the treatment of ulcers, inflammation, and scabies ^[4] . The extract of the plant contains significant amounts of alkaloids, tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and terpenoids. ^[5]

References

1. IUCN. 2015. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 15 September 2025).
2. Jayachandran, A., Aswathy, T.R. and Nair, A.S., 2021. Green synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Cayratia pedata leaf extract. Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 26, p.100995.
3. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:869713-1
4. "Cayratia pedata (Lam.) Juss. ex Gagnep. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
5. Stanley, A.L., Ramani, V.A. and Ramachandran, A., 2012. Phytochemical screening and GC-MS studies on the ethanolic extract of Cayratia pedata. Int. J. Pharm. Phytopharmacol. Res, 1, pp.112-116.