Trumpets in Garden
A vigorous twining climber that produces clusters of fragrant white pendulous trumpet shaped flowers, which open white, then change to pink, red and finally deep maroon is the famous ‘Rangoon creeper’. The widely known garden climber, which is a native of Africa, was introduced in the tropics as a popular ornamental. Being named ‘Quisqualis Indica’ in science, the Rangoon Creeper has an odd behaviour. The name ‘Quisqualis’ means ‘which’ or ‘what’, and it was given to this plant by a Dutch botanist named Rumphius, as he was astonished at the odd behaviour of the species. It is also called ‘Burma Creeper’. In Hindi it is Madhumalati, in Manipuri it is Parijat, in Tamil it is Iranganmalli and in Bengali Madhumanjari.
It is a creeping shrub that can reach as much as 70 feet in tropical climates. It thrives very well in most parts of India and it is cultivated in gardens quite commonly. The fresh green leaves of the plant set off the clusters of pendent pink colour and also the white blossoms. The perfumes of the blossoms enhance the attractive appearance. The flowers appear from March till May and again after the rainy season. In some parts it blooms continuously. The plant can rise easily from layers, cuttings or root divisions and if it gets very rich soil, it can grow almost out of control. The plant needs support for growing and is very useful in covering fences, supports and walls. It is also ideal to grow, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of buildings and gardens. It will be wise to cut it back in the dry season. The black fruit of the Rangoon Creeper is soft pointed containing five wings. A bitter liquid produced from the pulped, unripe fruit is a vermifuge.
Rangoon Creeper, found in the thick forests of the Philippines, India and Malaysia is now cultivated widely in home gardens as an easy-to-grow plant.
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