Editing Rhoicissus rhomboidea

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 320px; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em;"
! colspan="2" style="background: #e8e8e8;" | Glossy forest grape (''Rhoicissus rhomboidea'')
|-
! Scientific name
| ''Rhoicissus rhomboidea''
|-
! Genus
| [[Rhoicissus]]
|-
! Family
| [[Vitaceae]]
|-
! Order
| [[Vitales]]
|-
! Common names
| Glossy forest grape
|-
! Native range
| South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
|-
! Habitat
| Forest and forest margins
|-
! Growth
| Evergreen climber or small tree, 3–6 m
|-
! Leaves
| Trifoliate, glossy leaflets with forked tendrils
|-
! Flowers
| Small greenish-yellow flowers, September–January
|-
! Fruit
| Grape-like clusters ripening dark red to purple
|-
! Propagation
| Seed or stem cuttings
|}

''Rhoicissus rhomboidea'' is an evergreen climber or small tree in the grape family, Vitaceae. It is native to forest and forest-margin habitats in South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and is adapted to tropical and warm-temperate climates.<sup id="cite_ref-1">[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup> The accepted name is ''Rhoicissus rhomboidea''; ''Cissus rhomboidea'' is a recorded synonym.<sup id="cite_ref-2">[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-3">[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-4">[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

== Description ==

The plant grows as a vigorous climber or, when supported differently, a small tree about 3–6 m tall. Young parts and the undersides of leaves may carry rust-coloured hairs. Leaves are trifoliate, with glossy leaflets and forked tendrils that help the stems climb. Small yellowish-green flowers arise in the leaf axils.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

The fleshy fruits form in clusters and ripen from dark red to purple or purple-black. Their grape-like appearance gives the plant its common name. Human consumption is recorded, but that use record is not a food-safety assessment.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Cultivation ==

=== Soil and water ===

Use a well-drained soil or container medium. Well-drained soil is specified for sowing seed, so avoid a persistently saturated, airless root zone. Forest-margin origin suggests that organic matter can be useful when drainage remains open; that habitat-based interpretation is a cultivation starting point rather than a measured soil requirement.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

Regular summer feeding is recommended for established plants, with excess water allowed to drain freely.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

=== Sun and humidity ===

Its forest and forest-margin habitat supports a cautious starting position in bright filtered light or gentle morning sun, with protection from drying wind. This is a habitat-based inference, not a tested universal shade or sun limit. A trellis, string or comparable support is appropriate because the plant is a vigorous climber.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

Pinch growing tips to control the climber and encourage a manageable framework. The species account describes tolerance of neglect and few pest or disease problems, but those observations do not remove the need to monitor plants under local conditions.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

=== Seasonal changes ===

In the southern-African cycle, flowering occurs mainly from September to January. Fruit clusters develop from about January to April, with fruiting sometimes continuing into October; a regional Flora of Zimbabwe treatment gives October–December flowering.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> These calendar windows will shift with latitude, hemisphere and local temperature. Concentrate summer feeding, training and moisture management during active growth rather than treating the dates as a fixed schedule everywhere.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

== Propagation ==

Both seed and stem or tip cuttings are documented propagation routes. For semi-hardwood cuttings, the species account gives a 4:3:1 mixture of compost, milled bark and sand and recommends a suitable semi-hardwood rooting hormone. It places cutting work in late spring and seed sowing in spring in well-drained soil.<sup id="cite_ref-5">[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

A named Mediterranean garden record gives a more specific seed starting protocol: sow about 4 mm deep in a well-drained medium at 20–25 °C with moisture and daylight, with a stated 3–6 week germination expectation.<sup id="cite_ref-6">[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup> That same record includes seven seedlings from one wild-origin collection, a separate batch in which seedlings emerged but did not survive, and several batches with no germination. Treat the temperature, timing and outcome as site-specific observations, not as a guaranteed germination rate or schedule.

== Flowering, fruiting, and harvest ==

Small greenish-yellow flowers are followed by fleshy fruit in clusters. The main flowering and fruiting windows are September–January and January–April respectively in the southern-African horticultural account, while a regional flora lists October–December flowering. Ripening fruit is dark red to purple or purple-black.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

Harvest ripe clusters after the fruit has reached its dark red-to-purple color. Local harvest timing will vary with climate and season. The fruit is recorded as eaten by humans, but that use record is not a food-safety assessment.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

== Fruit and uses ==

The grape-like fruits are borne in clusters and ripen dark red to purple or purple-black. Human consumption is recorded for the species, but that use record does not establish food safety or preparation requirements.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Cultivars and selections ==

The RHS entry for ''Cissus rhombifolia'' 'Ellen Danica' gives ''Rhoicissus rhomboidea'' 'Ellen Danica' as a synonym and describes a compact, bushy foliage plant for lightly shaded positions, about 1–1.5 m tall and 0.5–1 m wide. Treat it as an ornamental foliage selection, not as a documented improvement in edible-fruit production.<sup id="cite_ref-7">[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]</sup>

== References ==
* <span id="cite_note-1"></span>[[#cite_ref-1|↑]] '''[1]''' [https://pza.sanbi.org/rhoicissus-rhomboidea Rhoicissus rhomboidea | PlantZAfrica, South African National Biodiversity Institute].

* <span id="cite_note-2"></span>[[#cite_ref-2|↑]] '''[2]''' [https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Rhoicissus%20rhomboidea GBIF species match: Rhoicissus rhomboidea].

* <span id="cite_note-3"></span>[[#cite_ref-3|↑]] '''[3]''' [https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=137840 Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Rhoicissus rhomboidea].

* <span id="cite_note-4"></span>[[#cite_ref-4|↑]] '''[4]''' [https://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=4094-11 SANBI Red List: Rhoicissus rhomboidea].

* <span id="cite_note-5"></span>[[#cite_ref-5|↑]] '''[5]''' [https://pza.sanbi.org/rhoicissus-rhomboidea Rhoicissus rhomboidea | PlantZAfrica, propagation and cultivation guidance].

* <span id="cite_note-6"></span>[[#cite_ref-6|↑]] '''[6]''' [https://www.chateau-perouse.com/assets/bestanden/html_EN/07021%20Rhoicissus%20rhomboidea_EN.html Rhoicissus rhomboidea 7021 | Château Pérouse garden propagation record].

* <span id="cite_note-7"></span>[[#cite_ref-7|↑]] '''[7]''' [https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/72690/cissus-rhombifolia-ellen-danica/details Cissus rhombifolia 'Ellen Danica' | Royal Horticultural Society].

[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Vitaceae]]