Cyphostemma currorii

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Cyphostemma currorii (Hook.f.) Desc. is a succulent tree belonging to the family Vitaceae and reaching a height of 6 metres or more. (cypho = humped or rounded, stemma = crown, probably referring to the domed crown of the plant). Normally found in hot, arid rocky places, it occurs from southern Angola to Namibia and is common on the Brandberg.

This species was named after Andrew B. Curror, a Royal Navy surgeon, from the vessel HMS Waterwitch, who first collected specimens of the tree at Elephant's Bay in Angola in the 1840s - the genus Curroria Planch. is also after him. The foliage and fruit of this genus are rich in oxalic acid, so that the leaves are shunned by browsers, though the fruit is relished by baboons and monkeys. There are 11 species of Cyphostemma, all confined to the arid regions of Southern Africa and Madagascar.

  • Cyphostemma bainesii Desc.
  • Cyphostemma cirrhosum (Thunb.) Desc.
  • Cyphostemma crotalarioides Planch.
  • Cyphostemma currorii (Hook. f.) Desc.
  • Cyphostemma elephantopus Desc.
  • Cyphostemma graniticum Wild & R.B.Drumm.
  • Cyphostemma juttae Desc.
  • Cyphostemma laza Desc.
  • Cyphostemma pachypus Verdc.
  • Cyphostemma roseiglandulosa Desc.
  • Cyphostemma uter (Exell & Mendonça) Desc.


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