Nilmani Lata / Purple Wreath
Petrea volubilis
Also known as Queen's Wreath, Sandpaper Vine
- Habit
- Liana
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- February-April
How to identify Nilmani Lata
Identify Nilmani Lata by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a liana habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Long trailing racemes (purple wreath / queen's wreath).
- Confirm leaf shape: Elliptic.
- Confirm leaf margin: Entire.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Solitary.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-April.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Petrea volubilis
- Genus
- Petrea
- Family
- Verbenaceae
- Habit
- Liana
- Habitat
- Cultivated in gardens
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Cultivated in sub-tropical and Tropical
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-April
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- EllipticrecordedWidest at the middle, tapering evenly at both ends.“Leaves are elliptical-oblong, 5–16cm long and 3–8cm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base wedge-shaped, entire margin, sometimes sinuous, glabrous or pubescent, rough to the touch;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- EntirerecordedA smooth, unbroken edge with no teeth or notches.“Leaves are elliptical-oblong, 5–16cm long and 3–8cm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base wedge-shaped, entire margin, sometimes sinuous, glabrous or pubescent, rough to the touch;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- HirsuterecordedCovered in coarse, stiff, bristly hairs.“Leaves are elliptical-oblong, 5–16cm long and 3–8cm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base wedge-shaped, entire margin, sometimes sinuous, glabrous or pubescent, rough to the touch;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Nilmani Lata itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Flower arrangement
- SolitaryrecordedA single flower borne alone, not in a cluster.“Racemose inflorescences 8–20 cm long, axillary or terminal, solitary, puberulent rachis, 5-mere flowers on puberulent pedicels supported by a deciduous bract ;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Nilmani Lata itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- नीलमणि लता Nilmani lata
- Bengali
- নীলমনীলতা Nilmanilata, নীলমণিলতা, নীলমনিলতা
- Tamil
- Kudirai valuppu
- Malayalam
- നീലമണി
About Nilmani Lata
A member of the Verbenaceae family, Purple Wreath (Petrea volubilis) is a woody climber. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 8 other states. It is cultivated in gardens. Flowering and fruiting run from February to April.
Verbenaceae
Verbena/Teak family
Nilmani Lata belongs to the Verbenaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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.
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