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Summary

Trichostigma octandrum is a species of flowering plant in the family Petiveriaceae. It was formerly placed in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It is native to the Neotropics. It is known in English as hoopvine (Florida), black basket wythe, cooper's wythe, basket wiss or basket with, and hoop with. Common French names include liane pannier or liane a barques ('basket vine' or 'barrel vine'). Spanish names include bejuco canesta, sotacaballo, and pabello, (Puerto Rico, Central America, basket vine, substitute horse, or pavilion). The plant has medicinal and fiber uses.

Description

Trichostigma octandrum strongly resembles pigeonberry (Rivina humilis). These are shrubs or free-standing vines up to 10 m wide and 6 m tall, with hairless twining, trailing or climbing stems. The stems range from 4–15 cm in diameter. The leaves are entire 4–9 cm blades ovate on long petioles. The apex is short and glabrous. The flowers form clusters, 5–7 cm long in a narrow raceme with flowers on stalks 4–6 cm long. The oval sepals are reflexed away from the fruit, 4–6 mm long and glabrous. The fruit are reddish-purple fleshy oval berries 4–5 mm long. The pollinator is unknown, but may be mosquitoes. The plant is spread by birds, who eat the fruit, but is also cultivated as a decorative plant or bower, as a fiber, for medicine, and food

Habitat and range

It is found Florida, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America as far as Argentina. In Puerto Rico, it grows in farm and urban areas, where the species grows on roadsides, fencerows, woodlots, brushy pastures, brushy vacant lots, and stream bottom galleries. The shrub also covers windfalls, fences, rocks, and forms mounds of tangled stems to 2 m high in open areas. Hoopvine grows on soils of all textures in a wide range of pH’s derived from both igneous, metamorphic (including ultramafics) and sedimentary (including limestone) rocks. In Puerto Rico, it grows in areas receiving from 900 to...