Abuta
Velvet-leaf
Cissampelos pareira
Observed at Moshi, Tanzania. December 2013.
A twining vine with hairy stems and leaves that are nearly round in outline to slightly angular. Climbing up to four meters tall from a woody crown. Small greenish flowers are borne in pendulous chains. Floal bracts enlarge as the fruit turns bright red at maturity. The attractive leaves, fruit and purported medicinal values has led to this plant being widely distributed from the Americas to India.