1. Pothos scandens Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 968. 1753.
螳螂跌打 tang lang die da
Batis hermaphrodita Blanco; Podospadix angustifolia Rafinesque; Pothos angustifolius (Rafinesque) C. Presl; P. chapelieri Schott; P. cognatus Schott; P. decipiens Schott; P. exiguiflorus Schott; P. fallax Schott; P. hermaphroditus (Blanco) Merrill; P. horsfieldii Miquel; P. leptospadix de Vriese; P. longifolius C. Presl; P. longipedunculatus Engler, nom. illeg. superfl.; P. microphyllus C. Presl; P. roxburghii de Vriese; P. scandens var. cognatus (Schott) Engler; P. scandens var. helferianus Engler; P. scandens var. sumatranus de Vriese; P. scandens var. zeylanicus de Vriese; P. scandens var. zollingerianus (Schott) Engler; P. zollingerianus Schott; Tapanava indica Rafinesque; T. rheedii Hasskarl.
Lianas, medium sized to rather large, to 6 m. Stems weakly 4-angled or subterete, to 10 mm in diam. Leaves paler abaxially, bright to deep green adaxially; petiole obovate-oblong to linear-oblong, 20-140 × 5-20 mm, broadly winged, base decurrent, apex truncate, rounded, or auriculate; each side with 2 or 3 secondary veins and numerous veinlets; leaf blade ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 2-10 × 3-14 cm, base rounded to acute, apex attenuate-mucronate; each side with 2 intramarginal veins arising from base and either reaching leaf tip or merging into a prominent submarginal collecting vein, all additional veins arising obliquely from midrib. Flowering shoot much abbreviated, arising from most of mid- to distal leaf axils of fertile shoots, bearing a minute prophyll and a few cataphylls 3-10 mm, sequentially longer. Inflorescence solitary; peduncle erect to spreading, green to purple tinged, 3-15 × 0.5-2 mm, slender. Spathe greenish to maroon, ovate, concave, 4-8 × 4-7 mm, base short or somewhat long clawed, margins variously inrolled, apex rounded to acute with a tiny, rather stout mucro. Spadix stipitate; stipe erect, greenish to maroon, terete in cross section, 5-10 × ca. 1 mm, distally erect to bent through 270°; fertile zone yellow-green to off-white, globose or ovoid to subclavate, 4-10 × 3.5-10 mm. Flowers 1-2 mm in diam. Infructescence with 1-5 berries. Fruit mid-green, ripening to deep scarlet, obclavate, 10-17.5 × 10-14 mm. Fl. and fr. throughout year.
Rain forests, monsoon rain forests, mountain or river terraces, creeping on trees or on rocks; 200-1000 m. SE Xizang (Mêdog), S and SE Yunnan [Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, ?Nepal, Philippines, ?Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Indian Ocean islands (Comoros), Madagascar].
This plant is used medicinally in Yunnan for treating traumatic injuries and rheumatic arthralgia. The leaves are used as tea by the Dai ethnic minority.