Luvunga scandens (Roxburgh) Buchanan-Hamilton ex Wight, Ill. Ind. Bot. [Madras] 1: 108 (1838)

Woody climbers, with straight or recurved axillary spines, without rust-colored villosulous indumentum on terminal and axillary buds or young inflorescences. Leaves alternate, digitately 3-foliolate; leaflets petiolulate (occasional leaves 1-foliolate, including sometimes all of those on new shoots). Inflorescences terminal, axillary, or basal to leaves, paniculate or racemose. Flowers bisexual. Calyx cup-shaped, 3-5-lobed (often irregularly) or truncate. Petals 3-5, imbricate in bud. Stamens 6-10, equal in length, distinct or monadelphous. Disk annular, pulvinate, or columnar. Gynoecium 2-4-loculed, syncarpous; ovules 1 or 2 per locule; style to 4 × as long as ovary, deciduous in fruit. Fruit a berry, with mucilaginous pulp and without pulp vesicles; endocarp membranous or fleshy. Seeds with membranous seed coat; endosperm lacking; embryo straight; cotyledons elliptic, plano-convex; hypocotyl partly included between cotyledons.

About ten species: S and SE Asia; one species in China.

(Authors: Zhang Dianxiang (张奠湘); Thomas G. Hartley)