FoI
Wax Leaved Climber
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Wax Leaved Climber
ative elliptic Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Wax Leaved Climber, Indian sarsaparilla • Hindi: काला बेल kala bel, karanta • Marathi: दूध वेल dudh-vel, कावळी kavali • Tamil: பலகொடி pala koti • Malayalam: കടുപാല്വള്ളി katupaalvalli • Telugu: అడవిపాలతీగ adavipalatiga • Kannada: ಮೆಟಗುಳಿ (ಹಂಬು) Metaguli (hambu), ಮೆಟ್ಲ Metla, ಕರಂಟ Karanta, ಕುರಬಂತುಮ Kurabantuma • Oriya: Maloti • Sanskrit: कृष्णसारिव krishnasariva • Nepali: दुधे Dudhe, गाइसिङ्गे Gaaisinge, कोइले घुरियो Koile Ghuriyo, कालो सरिवा Kaalo Sariwaa, कृष्ण सरिवा Krishna Sariwaa • Mizo: Theikelki-suak
Botanical name: Cryptolepis buchananii    Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander family)
Synonyms: Cryptolepis dubia, Cryptolepis reticulata, Periploca dubia
Wax Leaved Climber is a strong woody plant, climbing trees and having ropelike stems. It can grow to 6 m long. Branchlets are pale gray. Leaft stalks are 1 cm long, with an oblong or elliptic leaf-blade, 10-18 × 4.5-7.5 cm. Leaf base is broadly wedge-shaped, tip rounded or sometimes acute. Flower cymes are like panicles, shorter than leaves. The stalk carrying the cyme is 2-5 mm. Sepals are broadly ovate, 1.5 × 1 mm. Flowers are greenish yellow or yellow-white. Flower tube is 2 mm, petals are long, linear-lancelike, 7 × 1.5-2 mm. Seed pod is cylindric, 6.5-9 × 1-2 cm, with 2 longitudinal ridges. Seeds are brownish, ovate-oblong. Flowering: March-August.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary & Pisol fort, Dhule, Maharashtra & Rajouri, J&K.
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