Argyreia nervosa (Burm.f.) Bojer
Family
Convolvulaceae
Synonyms
Argyreia speciosa (L.f.) Sweet
Vernacular Names
| English | Elephant climber, elephant creeper. |
| Indonesia | Areuy bohol keboh (Sundanese). |
| Philippines | Sedang-dahon (Tagalog), hojag de seda (Sp). |
| Thailand | Bai rabaat, phak rabaat (central), mueang man (Bangkok). |
| Vietnam | Th[ar]o b[aj]c g[aa]n. |
Geographical Distributions
Native to India; cultivated in many tropical countries, also throughout Southeast Asia, and occurs occasionally as an escape from cultivation.
Description
This is a liana up to 10(-15) m long, with densely hairy twining stems.
The leaves are ovate to orbicular, measuring 10-30 cm x 8-25 cm and sometimes even larger, deeply cordate at base and densely hairy beneath. The bracts are large, 3.5-5 cm long and caduceus.
The petal is with limb shallowly lobed, about 6 cm long and pinkish-purple.
The fruit is spherical, about 20 mm in diametre and yellowish-brown.
Ecology / Cultivation
A. nervosa occurs most commonly in forest margins, secondary forests and brushwoods at low to medium altitude, up to 1500 m.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. 2003.