Marsdenia erecta (L.) R. Br.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Marsdenia erecta' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/marsdenia/marsdenia-erecta/). Accessed 2025-01-19.

Genus

Marsdenia

Synonyms

Cynanchum erectum L.
Cionura erecta (L.) Griseb.

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

calyx: (pl. calyces) Outer whorl of the perianth. Composed of several sepals.
axil: Angle between the upper side of a leaf and the stem.
axillary: Situated in an axil.
cone: Term used here primarily to indicate the seed-bearing (female) structure of a conifer (‘conifer’ = ‘cone-producer’); otherwise known as a strobilus. A number of flowering plants produce cone-like seed-bearing structures including Betulaceae and Casuarinaceae.
corolla: The inner whorl of the perianth. Composed of free or united petals often showy.
glaucous: Grey-blue often from superficial layer of wax (bloom).
midrib: midveinCentral and principal vein in a leaf.
ovate: Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.

References

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Marsdenia erecta' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/marsdenia/marsdenia-erecta/). Accessed 2025-01-19.

A deciduous climber, with slender, twining stems, 20 ft or more high, furnished with a little loose down when young. Leaves opposite, heart-shaped, 11⁄2 to 21⁄2 in. long, from two-thirds to as much wide, with short, abrupt points, pale rather glaucous green, with a little loose down on the midrib and veins beneath; stalk 1⁄2 to 11⁄4 in. long. Corymbs terminal and axillary, the latter often in pairs, but only borne in the axil of one of each pair of leaves, 2 to 4 in. long, erect. Flowers white, 1⁄3 in. across, sweetly scented, the five segments of the corolla narrow oblong, 1⁄4 in. long, rounded at the end. Calyx-lobes ovate, transparent at the margins. Fruits narrowly cone-shaped or spindle-shaped, 3 in. long, 1⁄2 in. wide at the base, tapering to a point; each seed has a brush-like attachment of silky white hairs 1 in. long. Blooms in June and July.

Native of S.E. Europe and Asia Minor; cultivated in England in the 16th century, but long regarded as a greenhouse plant. It is the hardiest member of a large genus, and succeeds very well against a sunny wall, but is liable to be killed in the open. It is not quite so hardy as its ally, Periploca graeca. When cut, the stems exude milky juice, which has a blistering effect on the skin, and is very poisonous taken internally.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

See Cionura erecta in this supplement.