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Paper Flower Climber
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Paper Flower Climber
P Native Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Paper Flower Climber • Bengali: গেছো লতা Gaichho Lata • Hindi: कोकोरे Kokoray • Kannada: ಹಂಜರಿಕೆಕುಚ್ಚು Hanjarige Kucchu, ಹಂಜಾರಿಕೆ Hanjaarike, ಮರಸದ Marasada, ಮರಸದ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Marasada balli, ಮರಸುತ್ತುಬಳ್ಳಿ Marasuttu balli, ಬಗುಲಿ Baguli, ಕುಪ್ಪಸಬಳ್ಳಿ Kuppasaballi • Konkani: उस्की Uski • Malayalam: പുല്ലാനി Pullani, പുല്ലാഞ്ഞി Pullanji • Marathi: झाल Jhaal, Ukshi उक्शी • Oriya: Dhonoti • Sanskrit: श्वेतधातकी Shvetadhataki, सुसवी Susavi • Tamil: புல்லாந்தி வல்லி Pullanti Valli • Telugu: మురుగుడుతీగె Murugudutige • Mizo: Lei-hruisen
Botanical name: Getonia floribunda    Family: Combretaceae (Rangoon creeper family)
Synonyms: Calycopteris floribunda, Calycopteris nutans, Combretum sericeum

Paper Flower Climber is a large Climbing shrubs; young stem densely brown velvet-hairy. Leaves are 4-9 x 2-3 cm, ovate to elliptic, base rounded, tip pointed or tapering-caudate, densely velvet-hairy on both sides, more below, puncatate; leaf-stalk to 1 cm long. Flowers are borne in dense racemes in leaf-axils, crowded in dense panicles at top of branches. Bracts are leafy, 0.6-1.2 x 0.3-0.4 cm. Sepal-tube is 4-5 mm long; sepals 5, up to 5 mm long elliptic cream coloured, velvety, accrescent. Petals are absent. Stamens are 10, 5+5 in two rows. Ovary is inferior, 3-4 mm long, 1-celled; ovules 3, drooping; stigma simple. The fluffy sham-winged fruit, which is about 8 mm long, has 5 edges and 5 persistent sepals which enlarge into the fluffy aliform with 1.0-1.4 cm in length. Hairy and green sepals are prominent. Paper Flower Climber is revered as a life-saver by the forest dwellers who regularly depend on this vine during summer when streams dry up. Sections of the vine store water, which people often use to quench their thirst.
Medicinal uses: The leaves are bitter, astringent, laxative, anthelmintic, depurative, diaphoretic and febrifuge. They are useful in intestinal worms, colic, leprosy, malarial fever, dysentery, ulcers and vomiting. The fruits are useful in jaundice, ulcers, pruritus and skin diseases.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed in Maharashtra.

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