Cocculus carolinus (L.) DC.

Snailseed, Carolina Moonseed

Cocculus_carolinus_plant.jpg
STATS

Native
CC = 5
CW = 0
MOC = 36

© SRTurner

Family - Menispermaceae

Habit - Perennial vine, relatively slender, often woody toward the base, lacking tendrils or spines, dioecious.

Stems - Vining, to 5 m.

Cocculus_carolinus_stem.jpg Stem and node, with inflorescence peduncles and base of leaf petiole.

© SRTurner

Leaves - Alternate, simple, petiolate, not peltate. Blades 4-15 cm long, 3.0-8.5 cm wide, triangular or ovate-cordate in outline, undivided or shallowly 3- or 5-lobed, with 5 main veins from the base, the upper surface glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy, the undersurface sparsely to densely hairy, the base truncate to moderately cordate, rounded to bluntly pointed at the tip or the tips of the lobes, usually mucronate or apiculate. A large variation in leaf blade shape may be evident on a single plant.

Cocculus_carolinus_leavesa.jpg Lobed leaves near base of plant.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_leavesb.jpg Leaves proximal to inflorescences.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_leaf1.jpg Leaf adaxial.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_leaf2.jpg Leaf abaxial.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_leaf2a.jpg Leaf abaxial surface.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_leaves.jpg Pressed leaves.

© DETenaglia

Inflorescence - Axillary racemes or panicles, to 12 cm long.

Cocculus_carolinus_inflorescences.jpg Inflorescences.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_inflorescence.jpg Inflorescence.

© SRTurner

Flowers - Actinomorphic, hypogynous, lacking bractlets. Sepals usually 6, 1.5-2.5 mm long, free. Petals 6, free, relatively inconspicuous, white. Staminate flowers with the stamens usually 6, free and distinct, the anthers 4-locular and opening by longitudinal slits. Pistillate flowers with 6 separate pistils, each with 1 locule, the placentation marginal. Style 1 per pistil, short.

Cocculus_carolinus_flowers1.jpg Flowers and buds.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_flowers2.jpg Flowers.

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_flowers3.jpg Flowers (staminate).

© SRTurner

Cocculus_carolinus_flower.jpg Flower (pistillate).

© DETenaglia

Fruits - Globose 1-seeded drupes, 5-8 mm long, red at maturity, the endocarp discoid, the rim and thickened margin transversely ridged, both sides concave.

Cocculus_carolinus_fruits.jpg Developing fruits.

© DETenaglia

Flowering - July - August.

Habitat - Forests, swamps, upland prairies, glades, bluffs, streambanks, old fields, fencerows.

Origin - Native to the U.S.

Lookalikes - Calycocarpum lyonii, Menispermum canadense, some species of Smilax.

Other info. - This interesting species can be found mainly in the southern 1/3 of Missouri. Its U.S. range is largely within the southeastern quadrant of the country. The plant can be identified by its leaves, the lowermost of which have a characteristic fiddle shape. This important character can appear to be missing if the lowermost leaves are buried in other vegetation, since upper leaves in the vicinity of the inflorescences can be unlobed and even wider than long. These upper leaves will usually be apiculate, having a conspicuous hairlike projection at the tip, and the petioles of all leaves will be attached at the margin (i.e., not peltate). The red fruits containing a stone resembling a snail or 3/4 moon.

Photographs taken along the shores of the Current River, Shannon County, MO., 7-24-04 (DETenaglia); also at Holly Ridge Conservation Area, Stoddard County, MO, 8-7-2022, and Sand Prairie Conservation Area, Scott County, MO, 8-8-2022 (SRTurner).