Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Coleb.
Menispermum fenestratumGaertn.                           
MENISPERMACEAE

Vernacular names:

Hindi            - Jhar-haldi

Kannada         - Maradrashina, Arasina balli

Malayalam     - Maramanjal

Marathi         - Jhade-halade

Sanskrit          - Darvi, Daruharidra

Tamil           - Maramanjal

Telugu              - Manu-pasupu

 

Threat status:

Critically Endangered (A 1 a,c,d) - KA, KL & TN

 

Habit: Large woody climber

 

Habitat: Moist deciduous to evergreen forests

 

Altitude: 350 - 1200 m

 

Distribution: Global: Indo-Malaya (southern India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and West Malaysia). National: Western Ghats of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Regional: In Karnataka, occurs in the dense semi-evergreen forests of Coorg, Uduppi, Dakshina and Uttara Kannada districts. In Kerala, found in semi-evergreen and evergreen forests of Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Wynaad, Idukki and Palakkad districts. In Tamil Nadu, occurs in Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Nilgiri districts.

 

Description: A large dioecious woody climber. Bark is thin, greyish and occasionally with irregular vertical fissures. The sap of the stem is watery and deep yellow. Young stems cylindrical with minute dense brown hairs. Leaves are alternately arranged, sub-peltate to peltate, broadly egg-shaped with acuminate apex, 15-28 x 10-24 cm, hairless above, white shiny tomentose below, with prominent 5­7 nerves arising at the junction of leaf stalk; leaf stalk 8-15 cm long, conspicuously swollen at both ends. Flowers are stalkless, minute, yellow, about 2 mm long, many, seen in clustered heads. The heads are about 7 mm across, borne on 5-12 cm long racemes, 5-7 in number. The fruits are said to be drupes, globose, about 3 cm across, greenish brown turning yellow when ripe with dense, minute brown hairs. Seeds white.

 

Phenology: Flowering: August to November; Fruiting: December to March

 

Note: Included in the negative list of exports notified by Govt. of India (Notification 2 (RE-98) dt 13.4.98, 1997-2002).

 

Medicinal uses: Stem is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Used to treat tastelessness, bleeding piles, cough, wounds, ulcers, skin diseases, abdominal disorders, jaundice, liver disorders, intrinsic haemorrhage, diabetes, snake bite, fever and general debility.

 

Trade information: Local, regional, national and global. In southern India the stem / stem bark of Coscinium fenestratum is the accepted source of Daruhaldi / Daruharidra. It is traded under the name Mirmanjal. In northern India, Berberis chitria is the primary source of Daaruharidra.

 

Mode of propagation: By seeds and stem cuttings

 

Special characters: The leaves are sub-peltate to peltate with a strik­ing white colour beneath. The cut stems show unique wheel-like medul­lary rays, deep yellow in colour. They diverge from center to the periph­ery. Flowers and fruits are always seen on the older stems.