Elephant
Creeper

Elephant Creeper

Argyreia nervosa

Elephant Creeper is a vigorous vine native to India, introduced world-wide. It has large, leathery heart-shaped leaves, which are white on the underside due to hairs. It is called elephant creeper because of the large leaves which look like elephant ears. Leaf blades are 15-25 cm long, and 13-20 cm wide, heart-shaped. Trumpet-shaped flowers are borne in cymes, on long, white-velvety stalks. Sepals are 1.3-1.5 cm long, velvety like the leaves. Flower-stalks are up to 15 cm long. Flowers are 5-7.5 cm long, with a short tube and bell-shaped limb, lavender to pink, the throat being of a darker shade. The flowers are followed by hard, woody capsules, which when they ripen break open to resemble miniature roses. The toxic seeds should not be eaten as they contain alkaloids.

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Regional Names

• Hindi:
  घाव बेल, समुन्दर का पाट, समुद्र शोख, विधर
• Kannada:
  ಸಮುದ್ರ ಹಾಳೆ, ಸಮುದ್ರವಲ್ಲಿ
• Marathi:
  गुग्गुळी, समुद्रसोक
• Sanskrit:
  मूर्वा, समुद्रफलक, समुद्रशोष, वृद्धदारु
• Tamil:
  கடற்பாலை, சமுத்திரப்பாலை
• Telugu:
  చంద్రపొద

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