Common name: Wax Leaved Climber, Indian sarsaparilla • Hindi: काला बेल kala bel, karanta • Marathi: दूध वेल dudh-vel, कावळी kavali • Tamil: பலகொடி pala koti • Malayalam: കടുപാല്വള്ളി katupaalvalli • Telugu: అడవిపాలతీగ adavipalatiga • Kannada: ಮೆದ್ಧಗೂಳಿ ಹಮ್ಬು medhaguli hambu • Oriya: Maloti • Sanskrit: कृष्णसारिव krishnasariva
Botanical name: Cryptolepis buchananii Family: Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family) Synonyms: Trachelospermum cavaleriei
Wax Leaved Climber is a strong woody plant, climbing trees and having
ropelike stems. It can grow to 6 m long. Branchlets are pale gray. Leaft
stalks are 1 cm long, with an oblong or elliptic leaf-blade, 10-18 ×
4.5-7.5 cm. Leaf base is broadly wedge-shaped, tip rounded or sometimes
acute. Flower cymes are like panicles, shorter than leaves. The stalk
carrying the cyme is 2-5 mm. Sepals are broadly ovate, 1.5 × 1 mm. Flowers
are greenish yellow or yellow-white. Flower tube is 2 mm, petals are long,
linear-lancelike, 7 × 1.5-2 mm. Seed pod is cylindric, 6.5-9 × 1-2 cm,
with 2 longitudinal ridges. Seeds are brownish, ovate-oblong.
Flowering: March-August.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke
| Photographed at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary & Pisol fort, Dhule, Maharashtra. |
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