mikania

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of composite plants of the suborder Tubulifloræ, the tribe Eupatoriaceæ, and the subtribe Agerateæ. The principal characteristics are an involucre of four slightly unequal bracts, four-flowered heads which are racemed or panicled, and pappus with very numerous scabrous bristles arranged in one row. The plants are shrubs or herbs, which are almost always climbing or twining, with opposite leaves, and small white, flesh-colored, or pale-yellowish heads. About 140 species have been enumerated, but they may probably be reduced to 100. They are natives of the warmer parts of America, with the exception of one species, which is found in Asia and tropical Africa.—M. scandens, the climbing hempweed, is a high twiner, with cordate somewhat deltoid or hastate leaves and heads of pale flesh-colored flowers in dense cymes, climbing over copses along streams; it ranges through the eastern and southern United States in to Mexico and to Brazil. M. Guaco is one of the guaco-plants of tropical America.

Wiktionary

1. n. botany Any of the genus Mikania of asteraceous plants.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. large genus of evergreen lianas of tropical America