Botanical Survey of India | Flora of India

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Ampelocissus latifolia (Roxb.) Planchon in J. Vigne Amer. 8: 374. 1884 & in D.C. Monogr. Phan. 5: 370. 1887. Vitis latifolia Roxb., Hort. Beng. 18. 1814 & Fl. Ind. 2: 474. 1824; M. Lawson in Fl. Brit. India 1: 652. 1875.


Beng.: Govila; Guj. Junglidrakh; Hindi: Panibel; Mal.: Karantavalli, Valiyapirapitika; Mar.: Golinda, Nadena; Or.: Dibroi, Kanjianoi; Tam.: Kattukkodimundirigai; Tel.: Adavi drakshi, Bedasativva, Nalla drakshi.

Slender climbing shrubs; branches terete, striate, hollow, nearly glabrous. Leaves simple, often pentagonal, sometimes 3-5 -lobed, usually deep-cordate at base, serrate at margins, 10-25 x 10-24 cm, acute to acuminate at apex, glabrous, prominently nerved beneath; petioles 5-15 cm long, upper half deeply grooved. Inflorescences pyramidal-thyrsoid; peduncles 5-10 cm long, glabrous; tendrils branched, 10-15 cm long, puberulous. Flowers 2 mm long, reddish brown; pedicels ca 1 mm long; primary branch of inflorescence 1.5-5 cm long; thyrses 3-7 cm long, puberulous. Calyx saucer-shaped, entire, glabrous. Petals oblong, ca 1.5 x 0.8 mm, slightly incurved at apex, glabrous. Stamens ca 1.2 mm long; anthers globose. Disc enclosing about half of ovary, 5-grooved. Ovary ca 1 mm across, glabrous; stigma subsessile. Berries globose, 7-9 mm across, 2-4-seeded, black when ripe. Seeds elliptic-oblong in outline, 6-7 x 4-5 mm; adaxial surface with a broad longitudinal ridge and a groove on either side; abaxial surface with an oblong-elliptic chalazal knot from which prominent fissures radiate towards margin.

Fl. & Fr. : May - Nov.

Distrib. India: Almost throughout the country in evergreen and deciduous forests, sometimes ascending up to 1600 m.

Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Notes. Chromosome number 2n=40 (Syamal, N.B. & G.I. Patel in Proc. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 62: 228-230. 1953; Shetty, B.V. in Curro Sci. 27: 358- 359. 1958 & Bibliogr. Genet. 18: 167-272. 1959); 2n=40, 60 [Hazra, R. & A. Sharma in Folia Biol. (Cracow) 18: 123-136. 1970].

Uses. The juice from the tender leaves is used in odontalgia, as a detergent for ulcers and internally as an alterative. The roots are astringent. The tender leaves are used as vegetable.





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