Rangoon Creeper
Combretum indicum
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Combretum indicum
- Genus
- Combretum
- Family
- Combretaceae
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Telangana, Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Bihar, Punjab, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Puducherry, Daman & Diu, Manipur
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“The leaves are simple, elliptical in outline, with an acuminate tip and a rounded base;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- EllipticrecordedWidest at the middle, tapering evenly at both ends.“The leaves are simple, elliptical in outline, with an acuminate tip and a rounded base;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Rangoon Creeper itself; the rest are typical of the Combretaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Changes white to pink to redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Rangoon Creeper itself; the rest are typical of the Combretaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Gujarati
- મધુમાલતી
Rangoon Creeper in India
Madhumalti is a vigorous fragrant climber whose flowers change colour as they age — મધુમાલતી (Gujarati). Combretum indicum is grown across Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal over walls, arches and gates.
Uses
It is grown as a fast-growing ornamental screen for its sweetly scented flower clusters that open white, then turn pink and deep red, so all three colours appear together. The seeds have attributed traditional uses but are best treated as ornamental only.
How to Identify Rangoon Creeper
A woody climber with oval opposite leaves that bears hanging clusters of long, slender-tubed five-petalled flowers. The colour shift — white to pink to crimson within a cluster — combined with the strong evening fragrance makes it easy to identify.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Rangoon Creeper called in different Indian languages?
- મધુમાલતી (Gujarati).
- Why do madhumalti flowers change colour?
- Each flower opens white and deepens to pink and then red as it ages, so a single cluster shows all three colours at once.
- Is rangoon creeper fragrant?
- Yes — its flowers are sweetly scented, especially in the evening, which is part of why it is such a popular ornamental climber.
Combretaceae
Indian almond family
Rangoon Creeper belongs to the Combretaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Combretaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Rangoon Creeper or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Combretaceae
View all Combretaceae →Sources: GBIF — Combretum indicum (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Combretum indicum (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Combretum indicum (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)