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| syn. Ceropegia angustifolia (Dalzell) |
| distribution:
Burma (?) India: Goa; Karnataka; Kolhapur District, Mumbai City & Suburban Districts, Pune District, Raigad District, Ratnagari District, Sundhudurg District, Thane District / Maharashtra; Rajasthan |
| This is one of
the several species from India, which are highly threatened. One reason
for this may be the fact that the subterranean tubers of this species are
eaten. In the wild Ceropegia attenuata grows in crevices of lateritic rocks from sea level to about 700 m above sea level. This species belongs to the erect growing members of its genus and has a small tuber of only about 2 to 3 cm in diameter. The stem is about 15 to 30 cm in length and usually unbranched. In young plants it is more or less pubescent, but becomes glabrous when full-grown. The very narrowly lancet-shaped leaves are sub-sessil and 5 to 14 cm long as well as 0,8 to 1 cm wide. The flowers usually stand solitary between the leaf bases in the upper part of the stems. The flower is up to 7,5 cm long and sometimes green all over, sometimes yellowich green, the upper part of the petals may sometimes be reddish brown to ruby-coloured. The very thin petals are united and usually as long as the flower-tube. Depending on the geographical distribution, the flowering takes place from May or July to August or September, fruits appear from August to October. In Maharashtra the species is known by the names Kaper halda, Khubeerta, Sada Khantudi resp. Tilori (all in Marathi). |
 left:Ceropegia attenuata; Mumbai / Mumbai City & Suburban Districts / Maharashtra Photo: by courtesy of Yuwaraj Gurjar http://www.yuwarajgurjar.com http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Yuwaraj%20Gurjar |
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| above: Ceropegia attenuata; Jumma Patti / Raigad District / Maharashtra Photo: by courtesy of Jayesh Patil http://www.flickr.com/photos/31196650@N04 |
| References: - W. John Kress; Robert A DeFilipps; Ellen Farr; Daw Yin Yin Kyi: A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, and Climbers of Myanmar. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 45: 1-590. 2003 - C. R. Patil; S. R. Rahangdale; S. S. Rahangdale; S. C. Patil: Occurrence of tricarpy in Ceropegia attenuata Hook. (Asclepiadaceae); Current Science, Vol. 88, No. 8,25 April 2005 - Nilesh V. Malpure; Mayur Y. Kamble; S. R. Yadav: A new species of Ceropegia L. (Asclepiadaceae) from the Western Ghats of India with a note on series Attenuatae Huber; Current Science, Vol. 91, No. 9, 10 November 2006 |