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Broom Creeper
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Broom Creeper
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Broom Creeper, ink berry • Bengali: huyer • Hindi: फ़रीद बूटी farid buti • Kannada: ದಾಗಡಿ ಬಳ್ಳಿ daagadi balli, ದಾಗಡಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು daagadi soppu, ಕಾಗೆ ಮಾರಿ kaage maari • Konkani: वासनवेल vasanvel • Malayalam: പാതാളഗരുഡക്കൊടി paathaalagarudakkoti, പാതാളമൂലി paathaalamuuli • Marathi: वासनवेल vasanvel • Punjabi: ਫਰੀਦ ਬੂਟੀ farid buti, ਵੱਲੂਰ wallur • Oriya: musakani • Sanskrit: अम्बष्ठः ambastha, दीर्घकन्द dirghakanda, दीर्घवल्ली dirghavalli, गारुडी garudi, महामूल mahamula, पातालगारुडी patalagarudi, प्राचीन pracina, सौपर्णी sauparni, सोमवल्ली somavalli, श्रेयसी sreyasi, स्थपनी sthapani, वनतिक्तकः vanatiktaka, वत्सादनी vatsadani, विद्धकर्णी viddhakarni • Tamil: காட்டுக்கொடி kattu-k-koti • Telugu: చీపురుతీగ chipuru-tiga, దూసరితీగ dusaritiga, కట్లతీగె katlatige • Urdu: फ़रीद बूटी farid buti
Botanical name: Cocculus hirsutus    Family: Menispermaceae (Moonseed family)
Synonyms: Cocculus villosus

Broom Creeper is a climbing undershrub, often densely velvety. Leaves are 4-8 cm long, 2.5-6 cm broad, ovate or ovate-oblong, sometimes 3-5-lobed, base heart-shaped, wedge-shaped or flat, tip blunt or with a small point. Leaves are densely velvety when young, later nearly hairless. Basal nerves are 3-5. Leaf stalk is 0.5-2.5 cm long. Male flowers have sepals hairy, the outer 3, oblong-lanceshaped, 1.5-2 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm broad, the inner 3 broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, 1.7-2 mm broad. Petals are ovate- oblong, 0.5-1.5 mm long, 0.3-6 mm broad. Stamens are 0.7-1 mm long. Female flowers 1-3, on axillary stalks, rarely racemed. Fruit is a dark purple berry, 4-8 mm long, 4-5 mm broad, endocarp annular or ribbed with a prominent dorsal crest, perforated. The juice of the ripe fruit yields a permanent bluish-purple ink and the roots as well as the leaves are used in native medicine and as a tonic like the last species. Broom Creeper is found in S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent to S. China. It is also found in the Himalayas. Flowering: December-March.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed at Rajguru Nagar, Pune & Ismailpur, Bijnor, UP.

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