Cissus verticillata aka Princess Vine

Cissus verticillata, or princess vine, is in the grape family, Vitaceae. People also call it bastard bryony and West Indian China root. It comes from tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. Its range covers South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Florida. The RHS gives two other names for the same species. These are Cissus sicyoides and Vitis sicyoides. Useful Tropical Plants also treats Cissus sicyoides as the same species.

This large, woody vine uses curled tendrils to climb trees. It can also spread on the ground instead of climbing. Useful Tropical Plants gives its height as 66 feet [20 metres]. It gives no separate size range for plants in gardens. Long aerial roots hang from branches, and some reach the soil. Some take root there. The top growth can live after someone cuts the main stem. Strong growth can cover and smother the tree it climbs.

Leaf shape varies, as does the amount of hair. These traits have led plant experts to name many forms. Useful Tropical Plants says it remains hard to draw clear lines between them. The stems and roots are thick, tough, and bend with ease. Cut stems give off a large amount of watery sap. The supplied species account gives no details of flower shape. It does not state when the vine blooms. Nor does it describe the fruit in detail.

In the wild, this vine grows in thickets and forests. It grows in both dry and wet sites. It reaches heights of up to 3,937 feet [1,200 metres]. Kew places it in the wet tropical biome. People grow it for its looks and sometimes as medicine. The account says growers can raise it from seed. It gives no set garden light, soil, or frost limits. It names no pests or diseases that harm the vine.

People make cord and baskets from the stems and roots. They crush leaves in water to make suds for washing clothes. Folk remedies use the sap, stems, and crushed leaves. Reported uses include treating fever and making poultices for sores and swelling. Poultices are packs placed on the skin. These records of use do not prove the treatments are safe. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known food uses. Its hazard section lists no hazards. But a separate note says sap may cause skin blisters. The cited account does not confirm that report.