Gongronema napalense (Wall.) Decne.

 
  • Family : ASCLEPIADACEAE
    (Milkweed Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : AAK FAMILY (आक फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Apocynaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Gongronema columnare (Wall. ex Wight) Decne.; Gongronema sagittatum (Wall.) Decne.; Gymnema columnare Wall. ex Wight; Gymnema napalense Wall.; Gymnema sagittatum Wall.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Gongronema napalense (Wall.) Decne.
  • Habit : Liana
  • Habitat : Moist forests, bushland; 500-1500 m
  • Comments / notes : Decoction of all parts is used for the treatment of leucorrhea, blennorrhea, and traumatic injury. Fine strong fibers, obtained from the inner bark, are used in making ropes, sacks, and paper.
  • Key identification features : Lianas to 8 m. Stems glabrous, with regularly and longitudinally striated bark when older. Petiole 1-3 cm; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate, oblong-oblanceolate, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or ovate, 6-14 × 2-8 cm, papery, glabrous, base rounded, truncate or subcordate, apex short acuminate; lateral veins 5-7 pairs, tertiary veins drying dark in young leaves, pale and raised in old leaves. Cymes to 16 cm; peduncle to 8 cm, initially with (2 or) 3 main branches, these usually irregularly forked, with umbel-like to short racemelike cymules, pubescent; bracteoles subtending pedicels few, minute, linear, ca. 1 mm. Pedicel 3-6 mm. Sepals 1.5-2 mm, ovate, sometimes pubescent. Corolla yellowish, ca. 4 mm; tube as long as sepals; lobes ovate-triangular, externally glabrous or margin sparsely pubescent. Corona lobes semicircular. Anther appendages as long as stigma head. Follicles oblong-lanceolate in outline, 4.5-8 cm × 5-7 mm, glabrous. Seeds ovate, ca. 4 × 1.5 mm; coma ca. 2.5 cm.
  • Flower, Fruit : June-September
  • Distribution :
    • Uttarakhand : Dehradun district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Changlang, Lohit
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Bangladesh, China, Bhutan, Hainan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : India, Bangladesh, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalaya
  • Literature :
    • Uniyal B.P., Sharma J.R., Choudhery U., Singh D.K. (2007). Flowering Plants of Uttarakhand: A Checklist. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh: 173
    • G.S Giri., A.Pramanik., H.J. Chowdhery., G.D Pal and S.K. Das (2008). Materials for Arunachal Pradesh, Vol (2), Pg: 166
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Gongronema napalense. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution
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