Bark
Typically rough, dark grey to greyish-brown on mature stems, with vertical cracks.
Ventilago madraspatana
IUCN Red List
Not Evaluated
(NE)
Local name
- Red Creeper (English)
- Pitti (Hindi)
Climber type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Rhamnaceae
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Leaves are variable - they can be circular to egg-shaped with an acute tip. Margins can be entire or serrated, and the surface can be smooth or finely velvety.
Flower
Small greenish-yellow flower are fascicled on leafless branches, with an offensive smell.
Fruit / Seeds
Fruit is 5-6 cm, densely velvety, a pea-sized part and an oblong wing, 0.9-1.1 cm wide, surrounded by sepal tube at base. Some fishermen used the long climbing stems as ropes.
Did you know?
Despite its name “Red Creeper,” the vine’s outer bark actually appears dark grey. The fascinating secret lies beneath the surface: the outer bark features deep vertical cracks that reveal a striking, bright vermillion (blood-red) inner layer.
Distribution
India to China (S. Yunnan) and Indo-China, Jawa to Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali)