Dregea volubilis (L.f.) Benth. ex Hook.f.
Family
Asclepiadaceae
Synonyms
Wattakaka volubilis (L.f.) Stapf, Dregea formosana T. Yamazaki.
Vernacular Names
|
Laos |
Pak huan mu, bu oc sa. |
|
Thailand |
Kra thung maabaa (Central), huan muu (Northern). |
|
Vietnam |
B[uf] [oos]c leo. |
Geographical Distributions
D. volubilis is recorded from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Java and the Philippines.
Description
This is a large, twining shrub, which can reach up to 10 m tall. The young stems are densely hairy but later hairless.
The leaves are arranged opposite, simple and entire, broadly ovate, measuring 7-18.5 cm x 5-13 cm, obtuse to truncate or subcordate at base, acuminate at apex, thinly leathery and pinnately veined. The petiole is 2.5-4.5 cm long, furrowed and hairless or hairy. The stipules are absent.
The inflorescence is an umbrella-shaped cyme, which is situated between the petioles of a leaf-pair and many-flowered. The peduncle is 2.5-7.5 cm long. The flowers are bisexual, regular and 5-merous. The pedicel is thin and up to 2.5 cm long. The sepal is on the inside, with 5 basal glands, 3 mm long segments and spreading. The petal is bell-shaped to rotate, 12-16 mm in diametre, bright green, hairless and with obtuse segments. The stamens are inserted at the base of the petal, with connate filaments, anthers with short apical membrane overarching the stigma and with solitary pollinium in each anther cell. The corona scales are about 4 mm in diametre which are inserted in staminal tube. There are 2 superior ovaries, free, 1-celled and with discoid stigma.
The fruit consists of (1-)2 ovoid- to lance-shaped follicles which is 10-15 cm long, blunt to slightly acute, finely longitudinally ribbed and many seeded.
The seeds are with about 4 cm long coma.
Ecology / Cultivation
In Malaysian region, D. volubilis occurs in brushwoods and village-groves in the lowlands. However, in mainland Asia, it can be found in a variety of habitats including montane forests.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
