Common name: Tape Vine • Assamese: Tubuki lota • Bengali: Akanadi, Kanadi, Chhotopard • Garo: Khaarkha • Malayalam: patakkilannu • Manipuri: থংগা উরী অঙৌবা Thangga-uri angouba • Nepali: Batule paat • Sanskrit: Rajapatha
Botanical name: Stephania japonica Family: Menispermaceae (Moonseed family) Synonyms: Menispermum japonicum, Cissampelos hemandifolia,
Tape vine is a climber found in India, S. China and SE Asia. Leaves are
ovate, long pointed, with a rounded base, and the stalk joining the leaf
away from the edge. Leaf stalk is about 6 cm long. Leaves are 12-16 cm
long, 2-11 cm wide. The leaves show 4 pairs of secondary nerves which are
reddish. Flowers are minute, borne in flat-topped clusters in leaf axils.
Fruits are red, obovate to almost round, 6-8 mm.
Medicinal uses: In Japan and Taiwan, decoction of the plant is
used as a drink to treat malaria. In Indonesia, the roots are used to
provide relief in stomach aches.
Identification credit: Prashant Awale
| Photographed at Thoseghar, Satara, Maharashtra. |
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