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Elephant Creeper
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Elephant Creeper
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Elephant Creeper, Hawaiian baby woodrose, silky elephant glory, woolly morning glory • Assamese: বিষধাৰক লতা bisadharaka lata, হেমলতা hemalata, সোণ পৰুৱা লতা sona parauraa lata • Bengali: আবেগী abegi, অযান্ত্রী ayantri, বীজতাড়ক bijataraka, ছাগলান্ত্রিকা chagalantrika, দীর্ঘবালুক dirghabaluka, গুগুলি guguli, হুসনে লতা husane lata, জুঙ্গক jungaka, কোটরপুষ্পী kotarapuspi, ঋষ্যগন্ধা rsyagandha, সমুদ্রসখা samudrasakha • Gujarati: સમુદ્રશોક samudrashok, સમુદ્રશોષ samudrashosh, વરધારો vardharo • Hindi: घाव बेल ghav bel, समुद्रसोख samudrasokh, समुन्दर का पट samundar ka pat, विधारा vidhara • Kachchhi: સમદરસોસ samadarsos, વરધારો vardharo • Kannada: ಚಂದ್ರಪಾದ chandrapaada, ಮುಸುಟೆ musute, ಸಮುದ್ರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ samudra balli, ಸಮುದ್ರಹಾಲೆ samudrahaale, ಸಮುದ್ರಪಾಲ samudrapala, ಸಮುದ್ರಸೋಗೆ samudrasoge, ಕಡಸಿಗೆ Kadasige, ಶೃಂಗಿ Shringi • Konkani: समुद्रसोंक samudra somk • Malayalam: പെരുംകുരുമ്പ perunkurumpa, സമുദ്രജോഗം samudra-tsjogam, സാമുദ്രപ്പച്ച samudrappachcha • Manipuri: ꯄꯨꯡꯗꯤꯡꯕꯤ Pungdingbi • Marathi: गुग्गुळी gugguli, समुद्रशोक samudrashok, वरधारा varadhara, वृद्धदारु vriddhadaru • Nepali: समुद्रफल samudraphal • Odia: ବୃଦ୍ଧଦାରକ bruddhadaraka, ମୁଣ୍ଡା ନଇ munda nai, ଶ୍ଯାମ syama • Sanskrit: अंतःकोठरपुष्पी antakotarapushpi, बस्तान्त्री bastantri, बोकडी bokadi, छगलान्त्रिका chagalantrika, जीर्णदारु jirnadaru, जुङ्ग junga, क्षतविध्वंसिन् kshatavidhvamsin, मूर्वा murva, ऋक्षगन्धा rkshagandha, समुद्रपालक samudrapalaka, सूक्ष्मपत्त्रा sukshmapattra, सुपुष्पी supushpi, वृद्ध vrddha, वृद्धदारु vrddhadaru, वृषगन्धा vrshagandha • Tamil: ஆகாயப்பூரிதம் akaya-p-puritam, அன்பகர் anpakar, கடற்பாலை katar-palai, மிருது mirutu, பேய்முசுட்டை pey-mucuttai, பேய்முன்னை pey-munnai, சமுத்திரச்செடி samuttira-c-ceti, சமுத்திரப்பாலை samuttira-p-palai, தொக்கி tokki, வகுள் vakul • Telugu: చంద్రపొద chandrapoda, సముద్రపచ్చ samudra-pachcha, సముద్రపాల samudrapala • Tibetan: bhi tta dha ru, bhra ddha dha ru • Tulu: ಮಲ್ಲ ಆದಂಬು ಬಳ್ಳು malla adambu ballu Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Argyreia nervosa    Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
Synonyms: Argyreia speciosa, Convolvulus nervosus, Lettsomia nervosa

Elephant Creeper is a vigorous vine native to India, introduced world-wide. It has large, leathery heart-shaped leaves, which are white on the underside due to hairs. It is called elephant creeper because of the large leaves which look like elephant ears. Leaf blades are 15-25 cm long, and 13-20 cm wide, heart-shaped. Trumpet-shaped flowers are borne in cymes, on long, white-velvety stalks. Sepals are 1.3-1.5 cm long, velvety like the leaves. Flower-stalks are up to 15 cm long. Flowers are 5-7.5 cm long, with a short tube and bell-shaped limb, lavender to pink, the throat being of a darker shade. The flowers are followed by hard, woody capsules, which when they ripen break open to resemble miniature roses. The toxic seeds should not be eaten as they contain alkaloids. Flowering: July-December, March-April.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed at Ghodbunder Road, Thane, Maharashtra & Sundar Nursery, Delhi.

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