Ichnocarpus frutescens

black creeper
Ichnocarpus frutescens [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Ichnocarpus
Species:	I. frutescens
Binomial name
Ichnocarpus frutescens (L.) W.T.Aiton[2][3]

Black Creeper, in Thrissur, Kerala, India

Flower

Ichnocarpus frutescens is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family known by the English common name black creeper. It is native to much of China, India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.^[2][3] In Uttarakhand it is known as kali-dudhi,^[4] and as botilai^[5] and shyamlata in Orissa,^[6] dudhilata in Madhya Pradesh,^[7] palvalli in Tamil Nadu,^[8] and siamlata in Uttar Pradesh.^[9]

It is a woody shrub with lianas sprawling to 10 meters in maximum length and 6 centimeters in diameter. The bark produces a creamy white sap. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long by 4.5 wide. The inflorescence is a head of several flowers. Each flower has a calyx of densely hairy sepals and a five lobed corolla just under a centimeter long. The fruit is a follicle which may be over 14 centimeters long. The roots may be reddish or purple. The plant is sold in markets in some areas in India.^[7]

Uses

The plant has a large number of traditional medicinal uses, including treatment for rheumatism, asthma, cholera, and fever.^[4] Some in vitro and rodent studies have suggested that extracts of the plant inhibit tumors,^[10] protect liver cells from damage in acetaminophen overdose,^[5] and reduces complications of hyperlipidemia in diabetic rats.^[11] There have been no published studies testing any of these effects in humans.

The fibrous bark is used to make rope.^[2]

References