''Stephanotis volubilis'',

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

including ''Dregea volubilis'', is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native from north-east Pakistan eastwards to south China and southwards to Java.

Regional names

"Kodippaalai" in Tamil, "wattakakka" in Malayalam, "gwedauk" () in Myanmar (Burmese).

Description

A stout tall climber, branches often pustular, with: * Leaves: 3–6 inches long by 2–4 inches broad, rather coriaceous, base rounded or cordate ; nerves 4–6 pairs ; petiole 1–3 inches. * Peduncles: 1–3 inches, rather slender ; umbels drooping, very many-flowered, subglobose; pedicals 1/2 inch, slender. * Corolla: 1/2 inch diameter, cupular, lobes triangular. * Stigma dome-shaped. * Follicles: 3/4 inch long by 1–1 and half inch diameter, broadly lanceolate, turgid, glabrous. * Seeds: 2 inch long, broadly ovate, pale, smooth and shining, border thick. File:Dregea volubilis (L.f.) Benth. ex Hook.f. (48922285613).jpg , Climber File:WattakakaCreeperPune 04.jpg, Bush File:Sneezing_Silk_(5893850775).jpg, Inflorescence File:Dregea volubilis fruits at Madayipara (1).jpg, Fruit

Distribution

''Stephanotis volubilis'' has a very wide distribution in south China and tropical Asia. It is found throughout the Indian subcontinent (the Assam region, Bangladesh, the east and west Himalayas, the rest of India, Nepal, Pakistan and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

); in southeast and south-central China and Taiwan; throughout Indochina (the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, Cambodia,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, the

Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...

, Thailand and Vietnam); and in parts of Malesia ( Java,

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

and the Philippines). In India, the plant is distributed from Northwest India to Bengal, Assam and the Deccan Peninsula, and southwards from the Konkan. In Sri Lanka, it occurs in the hotter parts of the island.

References

Asclepiadoideae Flora of South-Central China Flora of Southeast China Flora of Taiwan Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Flora of Java Flora of Malaya Flora of the Philippines {{Apocynaceae-stub