Combretum indicum, commonly known as the Rangoon creeper[2] or Burma creeper,[3] is a vine with red flower clusters which is native to tropical Asia and grows in thickets, primary and secondary forest, and along river banks in the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia and the Philippines.[4]: 547 It has since been cultivated and naturalized in tropical areas such as Burma, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The Rangoon creeper is a ligneous vine that can reach from 2.5 meters to up to 8 meters. The leaves are elliptical with an acuminate tip and a rounded base. They grow from 7 to 15 centimeters and their arrangement is opposite.
Flowers and fruit
The flowers are tubular, consisting of oblong petals 6–8 mm long. They are fragrant and have long receptacles to adapt for pollinators with long tongues.[4]: 547–548
They change in colour with age and it is thought that this is a strategy to gather more pollinators. The flower is initially white and opens at dusk to attract hawkmoths. On the second day it turns pink, and on the third it turns red attracting day flying bees and birds. The flower also changes from a horizontal orientation to a drooping pose.[6]: 175 [4]: 548
Buds and flowers of Combretum indicum in West Bengal, India
Flowers in morning
The 30 to 35 mm long fruit is dark brown, ellipsoidal and has five stiff and prominent wings. The seed tastes like almond or coconut when mature.[4]: 547
The plant blooms all year long in warm regions (Combretum indicum is a vigorous climber, and can be found flowering throughout the year if the temperature remains high enough and enough water is available.)[7]
Dr John Ivor Murray sent a sample of the "nuts" to the Museum of Economic Botany in Edinburgh in 1861, with a note that they were "used by the Chinese for worms" and a description of the means of preparation and dosage.[10]
Gallery
Flowers: small, cream calyx surrounded by large pink petals
'Spines' derived from remnants of petioles
Climbing plant in flower
Bud shape
Foliage: the young leaves (not shown) are brown-tinted
^Eisikowitch, D.; Rotem, R. (1987). "Flower Orientation and Color Change in Quisqualis indica and Their Possible Role in Pollinator Partitioning". Botanical Gazette. 148 (2): 175–179. doi:10.1086/337645. JSTOR2995472. S2CID84197357.
^A, Schmelzer, G. H. & Gurib-Fakim (2008). "Medicinal plants 2". PROTA. Retrieved 4 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Excitotoxic cell death and delayed rescue in human neurons derived from NT2 cells, M Munir, L Lu and P Mcgonigl, Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 15, 7847–7860
^Glutamate cytotoxicity in a neuronal cell line is blocked by membrane depolarization. T. H. Murphy, R. L. Schnaar, J. T. Coyle and A. Sastre. Brain Research Volume 460, Issue 1, 13 September 1988, Pages 155–160
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