Panchali / White Milk Vine
Cynanchum tunicatum
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- October-February
How to identify Panchali
Identify Panchali by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Narrow lance/sword-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Panchali.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cynanchum tunicatum
- Genus
- Cynanchum
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Narrow lance/sword-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Panchali itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Panchali itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- Chagul-pati, chagul-pati
- Marathi
- पांचाली Panchali
About Panchali
A member of the Asclepiadaceae family, White Milk Vine (Cynanchum tunicatum) is a climber. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and 4 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from October to February.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Panchali belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asclepiadaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides