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| syn. Ceropegia biflora (L.), Ceropegia candelabriformis (St.-Lag.), Ceropegia candelabrum var. biflora ((L.) M. Y. Ansari), Ceropegia candelabrum var. tuberosa ((Roxb.) N. P. Singh), Ceropegia candelabrum ssp. tuberosa ((Roxb.) H. Huber), Ceropegia discreta (N. E. Br.), Ceropegia elliotii (Hook. f.), Ceropegia longiflora (Poir.), Ceropegia loureiroi (G. Don), Ceropegia mucronata (Roth), Ceropegia tuberosa (Roxb.) |
| distribution:
India: Andhra Pradesh; Kerala; Rajasthan; Coimbatore District, Ramanathapuram District, Theni District, Tiruvannamalai District, Vellore District / Tamil Nadu Sri Lanka Vietnam |
| Ceropegia
candelabrum is the so called typus species of the genus Ceropegia, that
means it was the first species described under the generic name Ceropegia. This species is a twining plant with a tuberous rootstock. The leaves a very large, egg-shaped with a long tip. The species has its name not without good reason. The upright standing flowers appear in groups of up to about ten on a long hanging flowerstalk. They really look like a candelabrum. In India this plant is called Patalatumbi (in Hindi); Bachha manda, Bitharige, Bittarige, Bittarike, Bittharike, Bittiruka, Jatili (in Kannada); Nattunattuvalli, Nijota-njodien-vali, Njotanjodanvalli (in Malayalam); Kanvel, Paralatumbdi (in Marathi); Bhutumbi, Devi, Divyatumbi, Gartalabu, Gilodya, Nagatumbi, Shakrachapasamudbhava, Valmikasambhava (in Sanskrit); Manda (in Tamil); Baccaimande, Bachalimanda, Bachchalimandu, Bachhalimanga, Bellagada, Bellamgadda, Langatai, Nimmatai, Pullamanda as well as Pullamanga dumpa (in Telugu). The Sinhalan name (on Sri Lanka) is Wel-Mottu. In Vietnam the species is known by the names of Điếu đăng hoa resp. Rau kem. The tubers of this species, called Kanda, are esteemed as food-resource mostly by the neediest people. They are also used for medicinal purposes to cure haemorrhoids, befor that they are chopped and soaked over night into water, which is tipped away the next day. The chopped tubers are then prepared and eaten as a vegetable. The people from the semi-nomadic Kani tribe, which live in the southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu call the plant by the name Kattuvalli and use a juice, pressed from its leaves, to cure digestive disorders. The people from the Paliyar tribe, which live in the same region, call the plant Perun kodi and use the leaves to make a pulp which is then dropped on the forehead to cure headaches. In the indian state of Rajasthan again the plant is known as Khadia. Its tubers are eaten here both raw or boiled, furthermore they get pulverized to a powder, which is used against the bite of poisones animals, by applying the powder over the infected area. Ceropegia candelabrum is now, like many asian species too, very endangered. But successfully efforts to save this species in cultivation are underway. |
 left:Ceropegia candelabrum (syn. Ceropegia tuberosa) Photo: © 1995-2005 Missouri Botanical Garden http://www.illustratedgarden.org |
| References: - M. R. Beena; K. P. Martin: In vitro propagation of the rare medicinal plant Ceropegia candelabrum L. through somatic embryogenesis. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology 39(5): 510-513. 2003 - S. Ignacimuthu; M. Ayyanar; Sankara Sivaraman K.: Ethnobotanical investigations among tribes in Madurai District of Tamil Nadu (India). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2006, 2:25 - John De Britto; R. Mahesh: Exploration of Kani Tribal Botanical Knowledge in Agasthiayamalai Biosphere Reserve - South India. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 11: 258-265. 2007 - Shweta Swarnkar; S. S. Katewa: Ethnobotanical Observation on Tuberous Plants from Tribal Area of Rajasthan (India). Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12: 647-66. 2008 |