FoI
Vidang
Share Foto info
Vidang
P Native Photo: Siddarth Machado
Common name: Vidanga, Baoberang, Embelia • Adi: Pongkung • Gujarati: 'વાવડીંગ Vavding • Hindi: विडंग Vidanga • Kannada: ಆಮೋಘ Amogha, ಹುಲಿಮೀಸೆ Hulimeese, ವಾಯುವಿಳಂಗ Vaayu vilanga ವಡಂಗ Vaḍanga • Malayalam: Vizhal, Vizhalari, Vayuvilangam • Marathi: ambti, baavdinga, karkannie, karkunnie • Sanskrit: Amodha, आमोघः Amogha, मोघा Mogha, विडङ्गः Vidang • Tamil: vitankam, vivilangam, vollai • Telugu: vellal, vidangamu, vilangamu, vyivilangamu • Urdu: baobadang, baobarang, bab-o rang • Mizo: Naufadawntuai
Botanical name: Embelia ribes    Family: Primulaceae (Primrose family)
Synonyms: Embelia paniculata, Antidesma ribes
Vidanga is a climber with branchlets slender, white, without warts. Leaves are up to 7 x 3 cm, elliptic, pointed at both ends; nerves many, parallel, faint; leaf-stalk 1 cm long. Flowers are borne in panicles 15 x 15 cm, hairless, branches long, slender racemose; flower-stalks 1.5 cm long. Flowers are white, many; sepals small, triangular, woolly; petals 2 mm long, ovate, pointed, densely woolly. Berry is 2.5 mm across, spherical. Vidanga is found in Indo-Malesia and South China. It is also found in the Himalayas, at altitudes of 100-2000 m.
Medicinal uses: In Ayurveda, Vidanga improves the functioning of the digestive system and alleviates flatulence, gaseous belching and constipation. Vidanga is especially useful in expelling the tape worm out of the digestive system. Besides this Vidanga is also useful in Vata disorders like facial paralysis, epilepsy and insanity.
Identification credit: Siddarth Machado Photographed in Sakleshpur, Karnataka.
• Is this flower misidentified? If yes,