Introduction

TERMINOLOGY

Lianas (also known as vines, climbing plants or climbers) are plants with long, flexible, climbing stems that are rooted in the ground, and usually have long dangling branches. In order to climb, they have developed a wide range of climbing strategies and specialized structures affix themselves to the supporting structures. In addition, their woods usually present a wide range of distinctive anatomical structures. Trees and shrubs on the other hand, are distinguished by their self-supporting, rigid, erect, stems. However, the distinction between climbing and self-supporting plants is often blurred by the occurrence of plants with long, semi-rigid stems that arch or lean over other plants. These less efficient climbers are known as clambering, scrambling or leaning plants. The definition of a climbing plant is also obscured by the presence of species that become epiphytes after their climbing stems loose connection with the ground, or by epiphytes that establish contact with the ground by producing long stems or roots that climb down. In this project we have adopted a more comprehensive definition of a climber, so that we include plants with well-defined climbing mechanisms as well as scrambling and leaning plants. Our definition exclude creepers or plants with long, flexible stems that lay on the ground without climbing, our treatment include only climbers that reach more than 2 m in length. Lianas can reach 165m in Rattan palms, and 30-40 cm diameter in Malpighiaceae and in some Fabaceae (Schenella).

Other terms synonymous with climbing plants

lianas – woody climbers with stems reaching more than 10 m in length. 

vine, bejuco [Spanish], cipó, trepadeira, corda, icipó [Portuguese] – a general term for climbing plants but often used for herbaceous or slightly woody climbers, the word bejuco is synonymous with liana in many Spanish speaking countries in the Americas.

Twiners, voluble, enredadera [Spanish] - a climber with twining stems such as in family Convolvulaceae and Malpighiaceae.

Ascending, scrambler, leaning, sarmentoso [Spanish] – a vague term that refers to climbers with no specialized climbing mechanism.

Ropes, sogas [Spanish] – vague term that often refers to lianas or woody climbers.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CLIMBERS

1. Long, flexible stems with abundance of soft tissue that allow for rapid growth, vegetative regeneration, and pliability.
2. Extremely efficient vascular system specialized in water conduction and lacking internal structural support. Xylem vessels often are wide and long and have elevated hydraulic conductivities.
3. Distinctive cambial activity resulting in stems with complex tissue arrangements as seen in transversal sections of stems.
4. Specialized climbing mechanisms

DIVERSITY OF CLIMBING PLANTS IN THE NEOTROPICS

(Native or naturalized species)

107 Families/726 genera/10265 species 

Pteridophytes: 7 families/10 genera/82 species: twiners, scramblers or root-climbers

Gymnosperm: 1 family; 1 genus/7 species: twiners

Magnolids:  5 families/9 genera/276 species: twiners, root-climbers, and scramblers

Monocots: 12 families/46 genera/1154 species: twiners, scramblers, root-climbers, and tendrilled

Eudicots: 82 families/661 genera/8746 species: all climbing mechanisms present

MOST SPECIES DIVERSE FAMILIES IN THE NEOTROPICS

Apocynaceae: 83 genera/1360 species 

Asteraceae: 90 genera/892 species 

Fabaceae: 60 genera/770 species 

Malpighiaceae: 33 genera/600 species

Passifloraceae: 4 genera/600 species

Sapindaceae: 6 genera/488 species

Araceae: 8 genera/425 species

Convolvulaceae: 25 genera/416 species

Bignoniaceae: 24 genera/397 species

Cucurbitaceae: 37 genera/384 species

Dioscoreaceae: 1 genus/278 species

Rubiaceae: 31 genera/259 species

Solanaceae: 19 genera/211 species

Aristolochiaceae: 2 genera/200 species

Menispermaceae: 17 genera/173 species

Euphorbiaceae: 15 genera/168 species

Melastomataceae: 11 genera/140 species

Marcgraviaceae: 7 genera/130 species

Ericaceae: 15 genera/121 species

Smilacaceae; 1 genus/109 species

Celastraceae: 13 genera/105 species

Acanthaceae: 12 genera/103 species

Alstroemeriaceae: 1 gennus/101 species





MOST SPECIES DIVERSE GENERA IN THE NEOTROPICS

          (with total number of species)

Passiflora 550

Mikania 328

Dioscorea 278

Ipomoea 267

Serjania 250

Philodendron 211

Paullinia 200

Aristolochia 196

Pentacalia 160

Heteropterys 129

Mandevilla 122

Smilax 115

Solanum 115

Ditassa 105

Bomarea 101

Ruehssia 100

Stigmaphyllon 95

Manettia 95