Combretum indicum

Combretum indicum, commonly known as the Rangoon creeper or Burma creeper, is a vine with red flower clusters which is native to tropical Asia and grows in thickets, primary and secondary forest, and along river banks in the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia and the Philippines. It has since been cultivated and naturalized in tropical areas such as Burma, Vietnam, and Thailand.

This plant is grown as an ornament.

Description


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.

Flowers and fruit
The flowers are tubular, consisting of oblong petals 6–8 mm long. They are fragrant and have long receptacles to adapt for pollinators with long tongues.

They 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 to attract hawkmoths. 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.

The 30 to 35 mm long fruit is dark brown, ellipsoidal and has five stiff and prominent wings. The seed tastes like almond or coconut when mature.

The plant blooms all year long in warm regions (Combretum indicum is a vigorous climber, and can be found flowering throughout the year if the temperature remains high enough and enough water is available.)

Potential toxicity
The seeds of this and related species, Quisqualis fructus and Q. chinensis, contain the chemical quisqualic acid, which is an agonist for the AMPA receptor, a kind of glutamate receptor in the brain. The chemical is linked to excitotoxicity (cell death). The seeds have been used for treating roundworm and pinworm. It is toxic to the parasite and kills it in the digestive tract.

History
Dr John Ivor Murray sent a sample of the "nuts" to the Museum of Economic Botany in Edinburgh in 1861, with a note that they were "used by the Chinese for worms" and a description of the means of preparation and dosage.