Dudhi / Rosy Milkweed Vine
Oxystelma esculentum
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- August-April
How to identify Dudhi
Identify Dudhi 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.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Pink-and-white striped bell flowers (rosy milkweed vine).
- Confirm leaf shape: Narrow lance/sword-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Dudhi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Oxystelma esculentum
- Genus
- Oxystelma
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Scrub jungles and near water courses
- Distribution
- Tropical Himalayas, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Kerala, Bihar, Haryana, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-April
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Narrow lance/sword-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dudhi itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dudhi itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- दूधी Dudhi, दूधिया लता Dudhiya Lata, दुग्धिका Dugdhika
- Nepali
- अनारसिङ्गे लहरो Anaarasinge Laharo
- Bengali
- দুধী Dudhi, দুধিয়ালতা Dudhiyalata, ক্ষীরাই Kshirai
- Tamil
- ஊசிப்பாலை Uci-P-Palai, உத்தமை Uttamai
- Telugu
- చిరుపాల Chirupala, దూది పాల Dudipala, నేల పాల Nelapala
- Kannada
- ದುಗ್ಧಿಕ Dugdhika, ಮೇಕೆ ಕೊಂಬು ಬಳ್ಳಿ Maeke Kombu Balli
- Malayalam
- കിണികിണിപ്പാല Kinikinippala
- Marathi
- दुधाणी Dudhaani, दुधारी Dudhaari, दुधतानी Dudhataani
About Dudhi
Rosy Milkweed Vine (Oxystelma esculentum) belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and 14 other states. It grows in scrub jungles and near water courses. Flowering and fruiting run from August to April.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Dudhi 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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