''Chonemorpha fragrans'', the frangipani vine or climbing frangipani, is a plant species in the genus '' Chonemorpha''. It is a vigorous, generally evergreen, climbing shrub producing stems or more long that can climb to the tops of the tallest trees in the forests of Southeast Asia. It has scented, white flowers and large shiny leaves. and it is native to China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It is very commonly used in

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

(an Indian traditional medicine) and it is also cultivated mostly worldwide in frost-free places.

Description

Chonemorpha fragrans - Franginpani vine leaves

''Chonemorpha fragrans'' is a vigorous climber, reaching up to .T. Pullaiah, P.B. Raghavendra, S. Karuppusamy, V. Raveendran and M. Anuradha It can also grow or spread to about wide, depending on the support. It has a rusty brown,P.K. Warrier, V.P.K. Nambiar and C. Ramankutty or grey barked stem which is numerously lenticelled.K. Vanangamudi, V. Anbukkarasi and M. Prabhu The bark can produce fibre of good quality. It is

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

in most tropical climates. Elsewhere, in the spring, the fresh new leaves are bright green with a bronze hue. The mature leaves are large, deep green, shiny, and hirsute (hairy), especially underneath. They are broadly ovate, orbicular, or elliptic in shape. They have a 2cm long petiole, and they are wide and long, with 10-12 pairs of lateral, prominent veins. It has terminal (end of stem), clusters of blooms, appearing from spring to autumn, from May to July, or between April and October. They are highly fragrant, and the scent is thought to be very similar to that of the Singapore White plumeria. They have tubular sepals, which are 1 cm long, a white corolla which is long. It has a hairy throat, which is yellow. After it has bloomed, between July and September, it produces a lanceolateWiart Christophe or oblong seedcase. Inside the seed case, are flat seeds, shortly beaked with long white silky coma. All parts of the plant produce a milk-like substance when damaged.

Biochemistry

''Chonemorpha fragrans'' contains alkaloids including

camptothecin Camptothecin (CPT) is a topoisomerase inhibitor. It was discovered in 1966 by M. E. Wall and M. C. Wani in systematic screening of natural products for anticancer drugs. It was isolated from the bark and stem of '' Camptotheca acuminata'' (Campt ...

(CPT), chonemorphine, and funtumafrine. Camptothecin is a

monoterpene Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen func ...

indole alkaloid Indole alkaloids are a class of alkaloids containing a structural moiety of indole; many indole alkaloids also include isoprene groups and are thus called terpene indole or secologanin tryptamine alkaloids. Containing more than 4100 known diffe ...

and several synthetic drugs which are analogs of captothecin are used in

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

for cancer of various types. Chonemorphine is a steroidal alkaloid which has been studied in Wistar rats for its possible use for intestinal infections. ''Chonemorpha fragrans'' has two sets of

chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

with a count of 2n=20.

Taxonomy

The Latin name is pronounced as ''Chonemorpha'' (koh-nee-MORF-a) ''fragrans'' (FRAY-granz). It is commonly known as 'Frangipani Vine', or 'Climbing Frangipani' and rarely in India as 'Funnel-Flower Vine'. The flowers are very similar to the Frangipani in scent and shape, hence the common names. Due to its wide range it has various local names such as; 'Gardhedaro' in

hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, 'Manjinaru', or 'Chandra hoovina balli' in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, 'Perunkurumpa', or 'Paal valli' in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

, or 'akar gerip merah', 'Murva' or 'morala' in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, 'velutha kaaka kodi' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and 'Chaga' in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

. Also within parts of China (such as Guangxi, Yunnan and Tibet) and the Indian Subcontinent and Indochina, its name in Khmer is /vɔə crẹj cruəj/ វល្លិជ្រៃជ្រួយ or /vɔə ʔɑŋkɑt krəhɑːm/ វល្លិអង្កត់ក្រហម.), It is written as 大叶鹿角藤 in

Chinese script Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...

and known as ''da ye lu jiao teng'' in Pidgin in China. It was first originally described and published by botanist Alexander Moon as ''Echites fragrans'' Moon, in his 'Catalogue of the indigenous and exotic Plants growing in Ceylon' (Cat. Pl. Ceylon.) Vol.20 in 1824. The species was then renamed and it was then re-published by English botanist

Arthur Hugh Garfit Alston Arthur Hugh Garfit Alston (born in West Ashby on 4 September 1902; died in Barcelona on 17 March 1958) was an English botanist. His father was a vicar and amateur naturalist who first got him interested in the field. A.H.G. Alston later received ...

(1902-1958) in Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens (Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard.) Vol.11 on page 203 in 1929. It was verified by

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

and the Agricultural Research Service on 20 January 2012. It is an RHS Accepted name and was last-listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 2005.

Distribution and habitat

Chonemorpha fragrans - Franginpani vine buds

It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to temperate Asia and Tropical and subtropical Asia.

Range

It is native to a large area of Asia, from the Himalayas to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

. In temperate Asia, it is found within China (within the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Yunnan Sheng and Guangxi). Within tropical Asia, it is found in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, (including Nicobar Islands,) Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, (including the islands of Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands and Sumatra) Malaysia and the Philippines. It is cultivated also in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

and

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

in China.

Habitat

It prefers to grow in moist deciduous to semi-evergreen forests. or evergreen forests, where it often clings to the trees. In dense mountain forests it can reach altitudes of above sea level.

Cultivation

As the plant is semi-deciduous in subtropical areas, it can tolerate some colder temperatures (about 30 - 40°F,) but will then be fully dormant during the winter months, but it prefers a frost-free warm position. It may lose leaves if temperature drops below 45°F. In USA, it is hardy to between

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F) and USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F). It prefers to grow in well-drained, acid soils, which are rich and free draining.

Loamy soil Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

is the ideal soil type as it does not like poor soils. It needs ample moisture during the summer months, but not constantly moist. It can grown in full or partial sun. but is best in full sun, for better flowering. Within the garden setting, it is best grown on large structures (such as

pergolas A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open Latticework, lattice, often upon which Woody plant, woo ...

, trellises or columns). Alternatively it can naturally ramble over tall trees, as they do not cling to walls. It is used to create a 'tropical' feel within the garden. It is a disease free, and are not affected by frangipani rust. They can be grown in pots but prefer to be directly into the ground. During the winter, is the preferred time to prune to restrict the climbing growth to a manageable size.

Propagation

It is possible to propagate ''Chonemorpha fragrans'' via seed. These can be collected from a mature plant via paper bags placed over the flower heads. Then the pods are dried and then broken open to reveal the seeds. Germination of the seed usually takes 3-6 weeks. It can also be grown from cuttings. The only known pests of the plant, are Spider mites, which are most common if grown in

greenhouses A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These s ...

Uses

It has been used in folk medicine to help treat various disorders. It is used (roots, leaves, bark-stem,) in

(an Indian traditional medicine), to treat various things such as skin diseases,

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, scabies, syphilis, gynecological disorders, inflammation, constipation, worm infestations (

ascaris ''Ascaris'' is a genus of parasitic nematode worms known as the "small intestinal roundworms", which is a type of parasitic worm. One species, '' Ascaris lumbricoides'', affects humans and causes the disease ascariasis. Another species, ''Asc ...

), hyperacidity,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, jaundice, coughs,

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, stomach disorders, intermittent fevers,Umberto Quattrocchi

anaemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...

polyuria Polyuria () is excessive or an abnormally large production or passage of urine (greater than 2.5 L or 3 L over 24 hours in adults). Increased production and passage of urine may also be termed diuresis. Polyuria often appears in conjunction wit ...

boils A boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle. It is most commonly caused by infection by the bacterium '' Staphylococcus aureus'', resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by ...

, eye diseases, poisoning,and bronchitis. It is also used as a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

. The crushed roots of the plant, which are sweet and bitter, are used to make a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. Dec ...

drink to help remove a retained placenta, or to treat amebic dysentery. The stem of the plant is used to treat

fractures Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

and rheumatalgia. The leaves of the plant are used a

churna Churna (Sanskrit: चूर्ण "powder") is a mixture of powdered herbs and or minerals used in Ayurvedic medicine. Triphala is an example of a classic Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Ind ...

or extract used in combination with the other plant materials. As the plant has diverse biological activities including muscle relaxant and antiparasitic properties. The plant is sometimes cultivated for the fibre that is obtained from its stem, which is used to make fishing nets, especially in

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

References

Other sources

* Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Chonemorpha macrophylla * Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. * Kiew, R. et al., eds. 2010-. Flora of peninsular Malaysia Note: Forest Research Institute Malaysia. * Personal Care Products Council. INCI * Rao, R. S. 1953. A revision of the Indo-Malayan species of Chonemorpha G. Don. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32:36. * Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand. * Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q11780649 fragrans Medicinal plants of Asia Flora of China Flora of tropical Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus