Kala Bel / Wax-Leaved Climber
Cryptolepis buchananii
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- March-September
How to identify Kala Bel
Identify Kala Bel by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climbing shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Waxy leaves.
- Confirm leaf shape: Broad oval.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow-green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-September.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kala Bel.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cryptolepis buchananii
- Genus
- Cryptolepis
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- Moist and dry deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sub-tropical Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Pakistan
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Broad ovalrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Bel itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellow-greenrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Bel itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काला बेल kala bel, karanta
- Nepali
- दुधे Dudhe, गाइसिङ्गे Gaaisinge, कोइले घुरियो Koile Ghuriyo
- Tamil
- பலகொடி pala koti
- Telugu
- అడవిపాలతీగ adavipalatiga
- Kannada
- ಮೆಟಗುಳಿ (ಹಂಬು) Metaguli (hambu), ಮೆಟ್ಲ Metla, ಕರಂಟ Karanta
- Malayalam
- കടുപാല്വള്ളി katupaalvalli, അടവിപ്പാല, Cryptolepis dubia
- Marathi
- दूध वेल dudh-vel, कावळी kavali, कावळी
About Kala Bel
A member of the Asclepiadaceae family, Wax-leaved climber (Cryptolepis buchananii) is a climbing shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and 13 other states. It grows in moist and dry deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from March to September.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Kala Bel belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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