Species (& synonyms)	Raphidophora pertusa (Roxb.)Schott = R. laciniata (Burm.f.) Merr.
Vernacular name	Dodda thippali (Kan.); Anai thippili, Gaja thippili (Mal.); Anai pirandai (Tam.)
Family	ARACEAE
Taxonomic status	Species
Habit	Large epiphytic climber
Habitat	Deciduous to evergreen forests.
Original global distribution	Southern India and Sri Lanka
Current regional distribution	Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
- Elevation (m)	500 - 1,700
- Range (km^2)	< 10,000 (KA)	< 2,500 (KL)	> 20,000 (TN)
- Area occupied (km^2)	< 1,000 (KA)	< 500 (KL)	< 2,000 (TN)
- No. of locations	Many (KA)	Many (KL)	Many (TN)
Population Trends
- % decline	> 20 (KA)	< 10 (KL)	< 20 (TN)
- Time/Rate (years or generations)	10 years
- No. of mature individuals	< 1,000 (KA)	< 3,000 (KL)	< 3,000 (TN)
Global population	Not assessed
Regional population	Declining
Data quality	General field studies, informal sightings, indirect observation, literature and herbarium data.
Recent field studies	M.D.Subash Chandran (1996), Uttara Kannada; K.Ravikumar, G.S.Goraya, P.S.Udayan, S.P.Subramani (1996), Charmady, Agumbe and Subramanya MPCAs (KA). N.Mohanan (1995), Agasthiarmalai; C.R.Jawahar (1992), Agasthiarmalai; K.Ravikumar (1995), Munnar; M.Sivadasan (1975-96), Idukki Dist.; A.E.Shanawaz Khan (1994), entire Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Idukki Dists.; P.S.Udayan (1997-98), Kulamavu, Moozhikkal, Nilakkal (KL). V.S.Ramachandran (1998), Anamalais; K.Ravikumar (1983-97), Kodaikanal, Kallar, Tirunelveli, Thenmalai MPCA; John Jebaraj (1993-98), Vanthirtham, Papanasam, Tirunelveli; D.Stephen (1994), Mudumalai; M.B.Viswanathan (1995), Kolli hills (TN).
Threats	Harvest for food (Hf), Harvest for medicine (Hm), Loss of habitat (L), Trade of parts (Tp).
Trade	Local, commercial.
Other comments	Inflorescence is in trade. One of the ingredients in Ayurvedic medicine. According to M.Sivadasan, R. pertusa is distinct and not a synonym of R. lacinata as treated by Saldanha. Often as an ornamental use. It is predominantly seen climbing on riparian trees. Propagation through stem cutting is successful. Proportion global population in Tamil Nadu < 5%.
Status
- IUCN	VU (KA)	LRlc (KL)	LRnt - LRlc (TN)
- Criteria based on	Population reduction (A1a.c) – KA
- CITES	No
- IWPA (1972; 91)	No
- National legialation	Not in negative list of exports (Notification 2 (RE-98) dt 13.4.98, 1997-2002)
Recommendations
- Research management	Monitoring (M), Habitat management (Hm), Trade studies (O).
- P.H.V.A.	No
Cultivation prog. recommendations
- Cultivation	Level 2 (ex-situ)
- Level of difficulty	Level 1 (Least difficult)
Existing cultivation	Yes
- Names of facilities	Introduced in many gardens, house yards, and research institutions for ornamental purpose.
Previous assessment	VU (Regionally) & DD (Globally) in CAMP –III (Jan.‘97) compiled by M.Sivadasan, K.R.Keshava Murthy, V.S.Ramachandran, V.Chelladurai, G.S.Goraya, N.Loganathan, Meera Iyer.
Sources	P.S.Udayan, A.E.Shanawaz Khan, K.Ravikumar, M.Sivadasan, M.D.Subash Chandran, N.Mohanan, C.R.Jawahar, V.S.Ramachandran, John Jebaraj, M.B.Viswanathan, D.Stephen (persn. observn.).
Compilers	M.Abdul Kareem, M.Ahmedullah, T.Ananda Rao, N.Anil Kumar, Anjali Wadehra, Anjana Mudappa, S.Aroumougame, S.S.R.Bennet, Dasappa, J.L.Ellis, K.R.Geetha, R.Gopalan, B.Gurudev Singh, V.P.Hiremath, V.Irudayaraj, Jagat Ram, C.R.Jawahar, P.John Jebaraj, C.G.Kushalappa, Mohan Karnat, N.Mohanan, K.N.Murthy, D.Narasimhan, M.P.Nayar, S.Noorunnisa Begum, A.G.Pandurangan, V.Prabhakaran, V.S.Ramachandran, S.R.Ramesh, K.Ravikumar, Sanjay Molur, N.Sasidharan, A.E.Shanawaz Khan, C.Seema, Y.N.Seetharam, B.V.Shetty, B.S.Somashekhar, T.S.Srinivasa Murthy, D.Stephen, Subhash Mali, S.P.Subramani, T.S.Suma, Sumy Oommen, D.Suresh Baburaj, M.H.Swaminath, P.S.Udayan, D.K.Ved, Vinay Tandon, M.B.Viswanathan.