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In this group of tender evergreen tendril climbers are some of the most durable, useful foliage vines for decorating indoors, outdoors, and in container gardening. There is a complete selection of foliage character and structural form – from big and bold, to exotic and colorful, to daintily delicate. Texture may be rough, fuzzy, or glossy-smooth. Depending on the variety and the way it’s trained, the effect can be open or dense, flowing or rigid, natural or formal.

All this, and easy culture too! Ordinary potting soils, average temperatures and humidity, and a minimum amount of sunlight generally suit the cissus very well. Any idiosyncracies are concerned with moisture. Most should be well watered; but some few – succulent types, and those with tuberous roots – grow on the dry side, particularly during semidormancy. Stem cuttings root easily.

Many lovely cissus are available from garden centers and local nurseries. Choose one variety to twine its tendrils around a cord strung up and around a window; another to dangle over the edge of an indoor planter; another to be trained up a wall or along a mantel; or another to look lacy in a hanging basket. Outdoors in temperate sections, some varieties are grown as covers for small garden arbors and other structures. In containers the vines are effective as background or blender at the edge. Try the venerable old-timers, and try something new and different, too.

Among the following representative varieties are two that are correctly classified in other genera. The deciduous, outdoor-garden parthenocissus are treated separately.

Cissus adenopodus – Rich, velvety, medium-sized leaves shimmer copper on top, royal purple underneath. Older plants form a large, sweetpotatolike tuber half out of the soil. The plant takes a temporary rest after the summer growing season.

Cissus albo-nitens – Non-evergreen from the tropics (let it rest in winter) with small, metallic lance leaves plain green beneath.

Cissus antarctica – kangaroo vine – Strong, long-stemmed vine stays green and fresh in poor light. Four-inch, pointed-oval, leathery leaves with indented veins are toothed on the edge. Keep it graceful by careful pruning and training. A dwarf version, minima, is lower, slower-growing, and self-branching.

Cissus cactiformis – Succulent, “cactus-formed,” scrambling plant with thick, four-angled stems oddly jointed, a few grape-shaped leaves disappearing during the summer hiatus. Supply a sandy soil mixture kept fairly dry, and more sunlight than usual for these plants.

(Rhoicissus) capensis – cape treebine, evergreen grape, cape grape – Lusty grower for warm-climate gardens, striking indoors if trained, pruned, and pinched to induce branching from the base. Eight-inch grape-shaped leaves softly felted on top, rust-dusted beneath. Stems are stiff and woody. Tuberous root indicates dryer soil.

Cissus discolor – begonia vine, but not related to the begonias – Stunning foliage vine with velvety, royal-plum leaves strikingly patterned with green and lustrous silver. Keep it warm and humid, in a porous soil mixture. Chilling drives it into winter dormancy.

Cissus gongylodes – Warmth-loving curiosity plant with four-angled stems, divided leaves, long aerial roots, and tubers produced at the tips of branches.

Cissus himalayana (neilgherrensis) – Fleshy-looking plant without tendrils; hairy leaves drab green and triply divided.

Cissus hypoglauca – Outdoor grower for frost-free areas. Young leaves are rusty-fuzzy, with five leaflets maturing to three inches long.

Cissus incisa – marine ivy, ivy treebine – Southern native grows to ten feet in one year, eventually tops thirty feet. Three one-inch, coarsely-toothed leaflets per leaf.

Cissus quadrangularis – Succulent, four-angled stems with distinct joints; sparse, small, grapelike leaves, similar to cactiformis.

Cissus rhombifolia – grape ivy – Three shiny green leaflets to each leaf. Veins are brown and hairy underneath, new growth is fuzzy. In the most ordinary growing conditions, this old favorite needs training and pruning to keep it from clambering out of control. The variety mandaiana is less rampant, slightly more heavy-looking.

Cissus rotundifolia – Succulent species with slightly thickened stems, thicker three-inch leaves more plentiful than on the other succulents.

Cissus sicyoides – Four-inch oval-pointed green leaves with silvery sheen. In high humidity this climber sends down a screen of long, slim aerial roots.

Cissus striata – striped treebine, miniature grape ivy – Delicately divided and ruffled leaves crowd each other on slender stems. This one needs warmth and constant humidity.

(Tetrastigma) voinierianum – Tendril climber with heavy, floppy green leaves made up of three to five leaflets, each nearly ten inches long, like a gigantic version of the grape ivy.

Family: Vitaceae
Common Name: Treebine