Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 17, 2026

Cercestis

Cercestis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The species in this genus are all climbers and are native to Africa. At intervals along the stem they produce long leafless shoots called flagella. Many of the species in Cersestis show signs of fenestration.

Last revised
Jun 17, 2026
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Cercestis
Cercestis mirabilis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Culcasieae
Genus: Cercestis
Schott
Synonyms1
  • Alocasiophyllum Engl.
  • Rhektophyllum N.E.Br

Cercestis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The species in this genus are all climbers and are native to Africa.12 At intervals along the stem they produce long leafless shoots called flagella. Many of the species in Cersestis show signs of fenestration.3

Species

  • Cercestis afzelii Schott - tropical West Africa from Senegal to Nigeria
  • Cercestis camerunensis (Ntépé-Nyamè) Bogner - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon
  • Cercestis congoensis Engl. -Angola, Zaire, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Cameroon
  • Cercestis dinklagei Engl. - Zaire, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast
  • Cercestis hepperi Jongkind - Liberia
  • Cercestis ivorensis A.Chev - Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon
  • Cercestis kamerunianus (Engl.) N.E.Br. - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon
  • Cercestis mirabilis (N.E.Br.) Bogner - tropical West Africa from Benin to Angola
  • Cercestis sagittatus Engl. - Liberia, Ivory Coast
  • Cercestis taiensis Bogner & Knecht - Liberia, Ivory Coast
References

References

  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Bown, Demi (2000). Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-485-7.