This week’s plant – Cynanchum annularium (Roxb.) Liede & Khanum more familiar as Holostemma ada-kodien

Cynanchum annularium, a handsome, laticiferous, climber with conspicuous drooping bunches of flowers is an important medicinal plant used in Ayurveda and folk medicine. Its commonly known as Adapathiyan, Adakodiyan, Jeevani, Nagavalli and so on. It is characterised by leaves ovate to heart shaped with red tinged wavy margins and conspicuously thick greenish – yellow flowers with purplish shade inside and at the edges. The stout column at the center is very characteristic.

Once common in the district climbing over bamboo thorn fences in villages is now scarce to locate very much like the fences that are taken over by brick compound walls. In this case a clear habitat loss is perceptible. To add to the problem is the unsustainable over harvesting practice by collectors pushing the species to peril.

As part of our ongoing ABG (Assistance to Botanic Garden) programme we are attempting conservation, multiplication and reintroduction of this threatened medicinal plant. We now have a good stock of nursery seedlings and a germplasm bank for the species.

For more details Contact : greenahalia@ahhkv.org

Phone : 9400247681