Periploca of the woods

Gymnema sylvestre

Also known as Sugar killer vine, Small Indian Ipecac, Gymnema

Lianaoutdoor

About Periploca of the woods

Gymnema sylvestre is a perennial woody vine native to Asia (including the Arabian Peninsula), Africa and Australia. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine. Common names include gymnema, Australian cowplant, and Periploca of the woods, and the Hindi term gurmar Tamil(சிறுகுறிஞ்சான்) Sirukurunjan, which means "sugar destroyer" The leaves and extracts contain gymnemic acids, the major bioactive constituents that interact with taste receptors on the tongue to temporarily suppress the taste of sweetness.

Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Gymnema sylvestre
Genus: Gymnema
Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE
Habit: Liana
Habitat: Scrub jungles and hill slopes to 800m on thickets, by shola borders
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, tropical Africa
Flowering & fruiting: August-March
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Local Names

Hindi: गुड़मार gurmar
Bengali: মেষশৃঙ্গ meshashrunga
Tamil: சிறுகுறிஞ்சா cirukurinca, கோகிலம் kokilam
Telugu: పొడపత్రి podapatri
Kannada: ಮಧುನಾಶಿನಿ madhunashini, ಸಪ್ಪೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು sappe soppu
Malayalam: ചക്കരക്കൊല്ലി cakkarakkolli, മധുനാശിനി madhunashini
Marathi: बेडकीचा पाला bedakicha pala, गुडमार gudmar, कावळी kavali

Botanical family

Asclepiadaceae

Milkweed Family

Periploca of the woods belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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