Definition
Petrea volubilis, commonly known as purple wreath, queen's wreath, sandpaper vine, and nilmani, is an evergreen flowering vine in the family Verbenaceae, native to Tropical America, that is valued especially for its display of violet flowers.[1][2]
Synonym (scientific name)
Petrea amazonica Moldenke; Petrea arborea Kunth; Petrea aspera Turcz; Petrea atrocoerulea Moldenke; Petrea colombiana Moldenke; Petrea fragrantissima Rusby; Petrea mexicana Willd. ex Cham.; Petrea nitidula Moldenke; Petrea ovata M.Martens & Galeotti; Petrea racemosa Nees; Petrea retusa C.Presl; Petrea riparia Moldenke; Petrea rivularis Moldenke; Petrea serrata C.Presl; Petrea subserrata Bárcena
Vernacular name/ local name
| Languages |
Name |
| Bengali |
Nilmanilatai |
| Chinese |
Lan hua teng |
| India |
Nilmanilata |
| Tamil |
Kudirai valuppu. |
Identification
Plant morphology: As a climbing plant, it grows to a height of 12 metres, but as a shrub it grows to 4 metres tall.[3] It is a vine or semi-climbing shrub with puberulent stems, sometimes reaching 10 cm in diameter. Leaves are elliptical-oblong, 5–16 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base wedge-shaped, entire margin, sometimes sinuous, glabrous or pubescent, rough to the touch; petiole 0.2–1 cm long.[4][2]
The flowers emerge from bracts.[5] Racemose inflorescences 8–20 cm long, axillary or terminal, solitary, puberulent rachis, 5-mere flowers on puberulent pedicels supported by a deciduous bract ; calyx tube 0.2–0.7 cm long, glabrous or puberulent, corolla infundibuliform, 1 cm long, puberulent, blue; ovary and glabrous style. Drupaceous fruit completely enclosed in the acrid calyx which acts as wings or floats.
Phytochemical screening
Medicinal uses
Antidiabetic, secondary metabolites, anti- inflammatory, antioxidant, antipyretic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antibacterial
Side effects
Dosage
Storage