Khir-Khimp / Moon Creeper
Sarcostemma viminale
Also known as Moon Plant
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- August-May
How to identify Khir-Khimp
Identify Khir-Khimp 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: Slender rush-like (viminale) leafless stems (moon plant).
- Confirm leaf shape: Absent (leafless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Khir-Khimp.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sarcostemma viminale
- Genus
- Sarcostemma
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Distribution
- India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Africa
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Sikkim, West Bengal, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Mizoram
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Absent (leafless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Khir-Khimp 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 Khir-Khimp itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Khir-khimp
- Kannada
- ಸೋಮ Soma, ಕೋಡಂಬಳ್ಳಿ Kodamballi
- Marathi
- सोमलता Somlata
About Khir-Khimp
Moon creeper (Sarcostemma viminale) belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family, where it grows as a climbing shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and 20 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from August to May.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and harvested for fodder. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
In culture
It is treated as sacred and appears in worship.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Khir-Khimp belongs to the Asclepiadaceae 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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