• Family : ASCLEPIADACEAE
  (MILKWEED FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Apocynaceae
• Species : Wattakaka volubilis
• Synonym : Marsdenia volubilis (L.f.) Cooke
• Basionym : Aclepias volubilis L. f.
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Wattakaka volubilis (L. f.) Stapf
• Common name : Milk-Weed Climber, Green wax flower, Sneezing silk cotton
• Vernacular name : Nakchikni (Hin.); Hegala balli, Pettajanka (Kan.); Kaattu aavaarankodi, Kurinjaa, Kodipalai, Kurnica (Tam.); Bandi-gurga, Pedda-gurga, Dudhipaala, Kalasaku, Bondiguruginga (Tel.); Dughika (Ori.); Murva (San.)
• Key identification features : A often gregarious woody climber. Leaves are broadly ovate or sub-orbicular, acuminate with rounded or cordate base. Flowers are numerous (1-1.5 cm.), yellowish-green in colour with lateral drooping umbellate cymes. Fruits are 7.5-8 cm long, slightly tapering to a blunt point. Seeds are with long dull-white soft hairs.
• Habit : Liana
• Flower, Fruit : April-February
• Comments : Often grows on plains from the coast to hills about 1300 m.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
• World Distribution : Sub-tropical Himalaya, South China, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malesia
• Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4; J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Wattakaka volubilis. Downloaded on 31 October 2025.

Description

Field Images