FoI
Love Vine
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Love Vine
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Love Vine, air creeper, devil's gut, dodder-laurel, green thread creeper, moss creeper, princess hair, Sita's yarn • Hindi: आकास बेल akas bel • Marathi: अमरवेल amarvel, अंबरवेल ambarvel • Tamil: எருமைக்கொற்றான் erumai-k-korran, தூற்றுமைக்கொற்றான் turrumai-k-korran, பசுங்கொற்றான் pacu-n-korran • Telugu: ఆకాశవల్లి akasa-valli • Kannada: ಆಕಾಶ ಬಳ್ಳೀ aakaasha balli, ಅಮರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ amara balli, ಬೀಳು ಬಳ್ಳಿ bilu balli, ದಾರದ ಬಳ್ಳಿ daarada balli, ಜನಿವಾರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ janivaara balli, ಮಮ್ಗನ ಉಡಿದಾರ mamgana udidaara • Oriya: akashavuli • Konkani: आंकासवेल ankasvel • Urdu: آکاس بيل akas bel • Sanskrit: आकासवल्ली akasavalli
Botanical name: Cassytha filiformis    Family: Lauraceae (Laurel family)
Synonyms: Cassytha americana, Cassytha aphylla, Cassytha zeylanica
Love Vine is a very distinctive vine which can sometimes be confused with Amar Bel. Like Amar Bel, Love Vine is also parasitic on plants. Stems are twining, pale green to yellow-green to orange, thread-like, smooth or velvety. Alternately arranged leaves are about 1 mm. Flowers are borne in spikes, rarely singly, and look like small white balloons. Actual flowers are very tiny, less than 2 mm - the ovary is first exposed and later becomes enveloped by the enlargement and overgrowth of the sepal tube. Fruit is ovoid to spherical, size of a large pea, smooth, green or orange-red on maturing, rarely white, commonly drying black. Love Vine is found throughout the tropical world. Flowering: April-July.
Identification credit: Stephen, Navendu Pāgé Photographed at Burondi, Maharashtra.
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