Tinospora fragosa is a succulentstemmed winter deciduous twiner from the dry savannah region of southern Africa. As found in most other Tinospora species when the plant becomes detached from the soil, it has the ability to grow a survival root (life line) during the growing season, re-establishing the plant. One of three South African species, it is at once distinguished by distinctly succulent branches up to 3–5cm in diameter with shortened lateral branches from which the abbreviated inflorescences appears. The others, T. caffra (Miers) Troupin and T. tenera Miers have much thinner stems, knobbly in T. caffra and striate in T. tenera. Both these species are confined to higher rainfall regions in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.