acyloides

Acyloides is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to tropical Africa, specifically in the regions surrounding the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Acyloides plants often appear as twining or climbing vines, supported by a partner in a mutualistic relationship with certain species of plants in the genera Cochlearia or Euphorbia.

Characteristics of the Acyloides genus include woody, twining stems and heart-shaped leaves with toothed margins. Flowers are small and tubular, typically white or yellow in color, growing in clusters along the stem. There have been six species of Acyloides recognized to date, although more study may lead to identification of new species or reclassification of some of these. Some Acyloides species exhibit myrmecophily, that is, they provide shelter or food to ants in exchange for protection from herbivores and other competing plants.

Research on Acyloides is primarily driven by the interest in re-evaluating the larger relationships within the family Apocynaceae. Myrmecophytes such as Acyloides contribute unique evolutionary cases that provide insights into other plant-like aspects of the plant's biology, like epiphytes or vines.