Quisqualis indica
| Rangoon creeper | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Combretaceae |
| Genus: | Combretum |
| Species: | C. indicum |
| Binomial name | |
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Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps |
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| Synonyms | |
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Quisqualis indica L. |
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Quisqualis indica L.
Combretum indicum, also known as the Chinese honeysuckle or Rangoon creeper, is a vine with red flower clusters and is found in Asia. It is found in many other parts of the world either as a cultivated ornamental or run wild. Other names for the plant include Quiscual (in Spanish), Niyog-niyogan (in Filipino), Madhu Malti or Madhumalti (in Hindi), Madhobilota and Modhumonjori (মধুমঞ্জরী in Bengali; named by Rabindranath Tagore), Malati ( মালতী in Assamese), Madhumaloti (মধুমালোতি in Meitei), Akar Dani (in Malay) and Radha Manoharam (in Telugu).
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. The flowers are fragrant and tubular and their color varies from white to pink to red. The 30 to 35 mm long fruit is ellipsoidal and has five prominent wings. The fruit tastes like almonds when mature. The niyog-niyogan is usually dispersed by water.
Rangoon creeper is found in thickets or secondary forests of the Philippines, India and Malaysia. It has since been cultivated and naturalized in tropical areas such as Burma, Vietnam, and Thailand
The flowers 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. This attracts hawkmoths with long tongues for pollination. 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.
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Wikipedia