Smilax
zeyJanica L.
SMILACACEAE
(Liliaceae)
Vernacular
names:
Hindi
- Jangli ashbha, Ramdatun
Kannada - Kadu hambu thaavare
Malayalam - Kareelanchi
Marathi - Goatvel
Sanskrit - Vana madhusnahi
Tamil - Kattu kodi
Telugu - Sitapa, Kondaguruva
tige
Threat
status:
Lower Risk
near threatened - KA Vulnerable (A 1 c) - KL
Lower Risk
least concern
- TN
Habit:
Prickly
climbing shrub
Habitat:
Climbing
on thickets and forest edges in deciduous to shola forests
Altitude:
500
-
1800 m
Distribution: Global:
India to
Malaysia and China.
National:
Recorded
in the tropical and subtropical hills from Himalayan region in
the north to Kerala in south.
Regional:
Common in
the hill tracts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Description:
A prickly,
tendril climber. Tendril usually two, arising on
either side of the leaf stalk. Prickles short,
bent, scattered on the stem. Leaves alternate,
broadly egg-shaped to elliptic, 6-12 x 4-8 cm, base rounded to
rarely slightly heart-shaped with a narrow leaf sheath, apex
rounded to acute, sometimes notched, margin entire, hairless,
leathery; nerves 3-7, arising from the base of the leaf; leaf
stalks 1-3 cm long, twisted. Male and female
flowers are separated, seen in the same plant, arranged
in axillary 1-3 branched umbels, greenish white, about 6 mm
long, 8 mm across, distinctly stalked. Berries globose,
about 8 mm across, shiny, smooth, hairless, green turning red
and becoming black when ripe. Seeds 3.
Phenology: Flowering
&
Fruiting:
June to
August; October to January
Medicinal uses:
Roots used
for the treatment of venereal diseases, skin troubles, sores,
swellings and abscess. Also applied for rheumatism and pains in
the lower extremities.
Trade
information:
Local and
regional.
Mode
of
propagation:
By seeds
Special
characters:
Prickly
stems, betel-like leaves, prominent 3-7 basal nerves in the
leaves, flowers and fruits borne on characteristic umbels are
important field characters.
