Phang / Midnapore Creeper
Rivea hypocrateriformis
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- August-March
How to identify Phang
Identify Phang 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: Flat saucer-shaped flower.
- Confirm leaf shape: Cordate (heart-shaped).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Convolvulaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Phang.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Rivea hypocrateriformis
- Genus
- Rivea
- Family
- Convolvulaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- On hedges and dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles
- Distribution
- India, Nepal, Pakistan
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Telangana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Cordate (heart-shaped)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Phang itself; the rest are typical of the Convolvulaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Phang itself; the rest are typical of the Convolvulaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Phanji, फंग Phang, ग्वारककड़ी Gwal-kakri
- Bengali
- কল্মী লতা Kalmilata, Kindupata, বৈনারিশাক Bainaryshak
- Tamil
- Budthi Kiray, Musuttai, முசுட்டைக்கொடி
- Kannada
- Neer boddi
- Marathi
- सांजवेल Sanjvel, कल्मीलता Kalmilata
About Phang
Midnapore Creeper (Rivea hypocrateriformis) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family, where it grows as a climbing shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and 9 other states. It grows in on hedges and dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles. Flowering and fruiting run from August to March.
Convolvulaceae
Morning glory family
Phang belongs to the Convolvulaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Convolvulaceae 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.
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