Bushkiller
Causonis japonica
Causonis japonica (also known by its synonym Cayratia japonica and common names bushkiller, yabu garashi and Japanese cayratia herb) is a vine plant in the grape family, Vitaceae. It is the type species of its genus and is native to tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia and the West Pacific. It is used as a traditional Chinese medicine to relieve swelling and heat, and to enhance diuresis and detoxification.
From the article Causonis japonica on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Causonis japonica is a perennial herbaceous vine with compound, alternately branching leaves. Tendrils grow opposite each leaf. The leaves have 5 leaflets with dentate margins and a white coloration on the lower surface. The leaflets are arranged in a semi-palmate arrangement with 2 pairs of 2 with 1 singular leaflet with a longer stem in the center. It flowers in the late summer with red, white, and yellow flowers developing in umbels and producing grape-like berries with 2-4 seeds. In South Korea it flowers in July and August, with its fruit ripening in September and November, while in the southern hemisphere, in the Australian Northern Territory, it flowers and fruits in October. This species may be confused with Virginia creeper in that they both have leaves with 5 toothed leaflets, but Virginia creeper lacks a petiolule (stem connecting a leaflet to the main leaf stem) on any of the leaflets.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Causonis japonica in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 795186.