Menispermaceae   -   Moonseed or Curare Family

The Menispermaceae is a temperate to tropical family of around 70 genera and 450 species of dicotyledenous tropical flowering vines with twining stems and a few herbs, shrubs and trees. Leaves are alternate and simple, but may be palmately veined and often lobed. Floral parts of the unisexual flowers are in whorls of three. Male and female flowers are on separate plants, usually small and clustered in panicles or cymes. Fruits are drupes, the hard endocarp of which has features such as warts and ribs useful for identifying species.
 
Most species contain alkaloids such as the hunting poison curare, and berberine. Curare, berberine and other substances from the Menispermaceae have medicinal value. Plants from the genera Stephania and Tinospora feature in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine and, despite their toxicity, are still used by herbalists.
 
Tinospora have succulent vining stems which sprout clusters of deciduous leaves or flowers at the appropriate season. Some species develop a caudiciform base with age; others support themselves with aerial roots dropped from the branches e.g. Tinospora fragosa (Aaron's Rod).