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Common name: Wild kundo, Warakki Kundo (Manipuri), Kundamu malle (Telugu), Kunda कुंद (Hindi),
Botanical name: Jasminum nervosum Family: Oleaceae (Jasmine family)
Known by the name Warakki kundo, Jasminum nervosum is very popular in Manipur.
In Manipur, it is considered to be a wild cousin of Jasminum
multiflorum, also known as Kundo.
It has very beautiful single-flowered, white blooms, which have no fragrance.
It is a climbing shrub with very slender branchlets which are slightly
pubescent when young. Leaves simple, ovate or lance-like ovate, 2-5.5 cm long,
1-3 cm wide, pointed at the tip and rounded at the base, with a short stalk.
Flowers occur at the end of branches, either singly or in groups of three.
Snow white flowers are large, with iwith 7-11 petals which are 9-13 cm long.
The beauty of the flower more than makes up for lack of fragrance. In Indian
mythology, Kunda is known for its whiteness.
In Manipur, Kundo flowers are used in worship, and are an
essential part of a marriage ceremony. The bride garlands the groom with two
Kundo flower garlands. The groom then takes one of the two and garlands the
bride.
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