Botanical name: Cissus quadrangularis    Family: Vitaceae (Grape family)
Synonyms: Cissus quadrangula, Cissus tetraptera, Vitis quadrangularis

Veldt Grape is a perennial herbaceous climber. Stem thick, fleshy, four-edged, angles winged, constricted at nodes, hairless or slightly downy, almost leafless when old. Tendrils are long, slender, simple. Leaf-stalks are 6-12 mm long, hairless. Leaves are simple ovate, heart-shaped, minutely toothed, or rounded toothed-sawtoothed, 3-lobed, end lobe triangular or nearly spoon-shaped, somewhat pointed or cuspidate, membranous, hairless on both sides, 3-5 x 5-3 cm; stipules ovate or wedge-shaped, blunt, deciduous. Inflorescence a compound umbelliform cymes, flower-cluster-stalk 1-2.5 cm long. Flower pink and white, 2 mm long, hypanthium cuplike, flat or obsurely lobed, green, about 2 mm broad. Petals 4, distinct, ovate-oblong, pointed, hooded at tip, about 1.5 mm long. Berries are spherical, red, fleshy, very acidic, 6-10 mm in diameter, 1 seeded. It is probably native to India or Sri Lanka, but is also found in Africa, Arabia, and Southeast Asia.

Medicinal uses: Veldt Grape has been used as a medicinal plant since antiquity. In siddha medicine it is considered a tonic and analgesic, and is believed to help heal broken bones, thus its name asthisamharaka (that which prevents the destruction of bones). It is said to have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anthelmintic, antihemorrhoidal and analgesic activities. It is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants in Thailand.

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The flower labeled Veldt Grape is ...