FoI
Bush Grape   
 Foto info
Bush Grape
P Native Vine
Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Bush Grape, fox-grape, three-leaved wild vine, threeleaf cayratia • Hindi: अमलबेल amalbel, gidardrak, ramchana, tamanya • Marathi: अंबटवेल ambatvel, अंबोशी amboshi, sarbarival • Tamil: காட்டுப்பிரண்டை kattuppirantai • Malayalam: amarcakkoti, corivalli, kattuperanta, tsjori-valli, vatakkoti • Telugu: కనుపుతీగె kanupu tige, పులిమడ puli mada • Kannada: ಹೆಗ್ಗೊಲಿ heggoli • Bengali: অমল লতা Amal-lata • Assamese: চেপেতা লতা Chepeta-lota • Sanskrit: अम्लवेतस amlavetasah, अत्यम्लपर्णी atyamlaparni, gandirah
Botanical name: Cayratia trifolia    Family: Vitaceae (Grape family)
Synonyms: Cissus trifolia, Vitis trifolia, Vitis carnosa
Native to India, Bush Grape is a vine that climbs by means of tendrils which are found opposite the leaves. The leaves are trifoliolate with petioles 2-3 cm long. The leaflets are ovate to oblong-ovate, 2-8 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, pointed at the tip, and coarsely toothed at the margins. The flowers are small greenish white and borne on solitary cymes in leaf axils. The fruit is fleshy, juicy, dark purple or black, nearly spherical and about 1 cm in diameter. Flowering: December.
Medicinal uses: The root, ground with black pepper, is applied to boils. The root is also used as an astringent medicine.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke
Photographed at Vaghbil, Thane, Maharashtra.