Skip to main content

Begonia vine (Cissus discolor)

Irah-irah or begonia vine or cissus javana (Cissus discolor) is a plant species in Vitaceae, semi-perennial in tropical climates, grows on the surface of the ground or climbs, up to 4 m long, has two varieties, namely Cissus discolor var. mollis and Cissus discolor var. rotundifolia.

C. discolor has soft fleshy leaves and stalks. The leaves have an oval shape, the base is heart-shaped, the tip is pointed, the edges are slightly serrated, the surface is wavy, a main bone in the middle with several sideways veins.

Dlium Begonia vine (Cissus discolor)


The leaves on the top surface have a doff dark green color with silver trimmings filling the spaces between the veins, while the other varieties have a color only green. The bottom surface is glosy maroon color. These color features are very important which differentiate them from other species.

The single stem has a square shape with corners, green or red in color and is strong but flexible. The internodes produce maroon petioles, roots or spiral stalks as new shoots or hooks to supports for propagating on the ground or climbing trees.

Cissus discolor var. mollis has smaller mature leaves and a narrower shape ratio with a width of 9 cm and a length of 13 cm. Cissus discolor var. rotundifolia has larger mature leaves and a fatter shape ratio with a width of 14 cm and a length of 23 cm.

The flowers in panicles, whitish yellow and red in color, grow at each leaf junction along the stem and have yellow stalks. The fruit in a panicle, spherical, blackish red, has a large stalk and is red in color.











Begonia vine lives in the shade on the forest floor with a pH of 6.1-7.5, usually under large trees for climbing media. Thrives in a shady place with sunlight intensity of 60-75% at an altitude of 400-1000 m.

Trenches are found on slopes, flat surfaces in primary forest, secondary forest and abandoned lands on clay and sandy soil. Widely used as an ornamental plant in hanging pots, it is also useful as a medicine for swelling, abdominal pain and menstrual laxative.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Vitales
Family: Vitaceae
Genus: Cissus
Species: Cissus discolor
Varieties: Cissus discolor var. mollis and Cissus discolor var. rotundifolia

Popular Posts

Redflower ragleaf (Crassocephalum crepidioides)

Sintrong or ebolo or thickhead or redflower ragleaf ( Crassocephalum crepidioides ) are plant species in Asteraceae, terma height 25-100 cm, white fibrous roots, generally grow wild on the roadside, yard gardens or abandoned lands at altitude 200- 2500 m. C. crepidioides has erect or horizontal stems along the soil surface, vascular, soft, non-woody, shallow grooves, green, rough surface and short white hair, aromatic fragrance when squeezed. Petiole is spread on stems, tubular and eared. Single leaf, spread out, green, 8-20 cm long, 3-6 cm wide, longitudinal or round inverted eggshell with a narrow base along the stalk. Pointed tip, flat-edged or curved to pinnate, jagged rough and pointed. The top leaves are smaller and often sit. Compound flowers grow throughout the year in humps that are arranged in terminal flat panicles and androgynous. Green cuffs with orange-brown to brick-red tips, cylindrical for 13-16 mm long and 5-6 mm wide. The crown is yellow with a brownish red...

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore...