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Cissus striata (Miniature Grape Ivy) - This delicate, evergreen vine can climb using tendrils to 20 feet tall. It has red stems that hold 1 to 2 inch long leathery palmately-compound leaves that have 5 lobes. The small greenish-yellow flowers in late summer to fall are not showy but are followed by dark berries that look great against the very attractive foliage in winter. It can be grown on a fence or other support as a vine or used in the open as a groundcover or even in a hanging basket.
Plant in cool full sun or shade, with moderate to occasional water. It is hardy to about 20-25 degrees F.
Cissus striata was first described from Chile by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavon from a collection in 1798. It is known to come from south central Chile, where it is called Voqui Colorado, but also ranges through parts of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. The name for the genus comes from the Greek word 'kissos' that means "ivy" and the specific epithet is from the Latin adjective 'striatum' (strio) meaning "grooved" or "striped", but it is not clear what the authors were referring to with this reference. In 2015 Julio Antonio Lombardi of São Paulo State University reclassified this plant, putting it into the mostly Australian genus Clematicissus (Phytotaxa 227: 296), making its currently accepted name Clematicissus striata. It is sometimes called by the common name Ivy of Uruguay as this name was applied to the plant by John Tweedie at Kew and since it is evergreen it is also sometimes called Evergreen Virginia Creeper and it has also been previously known by the botanical names Ampelopsis sempervirens, Parthenocissus striata and Vitis striata.
This information about Cissus striata displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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