Beauty packed in a bunch

Amarjeet Singh Batth

Latin word ‘Quisqualis’is quite a tongue twister and have you heard about Combretum indicum Syn Quisqualis indica — a bigger tongue twister. Well, it is the name of a flowering vine that most of you must have seen growing around your homes. Botanist were amazed to find that this young plant resembled a shrub but as it grew it matured into a vine. Also, the white flowers gradually change their white colour to pink and then darkest pink to red. Combretum indicum Syn Quisqualis indica from the Family Combretaceae is famous with many names yet Rangoon Creeper is most popular. You may have heard of it as Jhumka bel.

It is an evergreen, aggressively fast growing, lush foliage, woody climber which spreads over a support rapidly with its root suckers.

It has a deep reach extending to high walls and can grow up to up to 40-60 feet with proper support.

The stems have fine yellow hairs with occasional spines forming on its branches. The leaves are green to yellow-green arranged in pairs, opposite to each other, elliptical in shape with round base and entire margin. The tubular, 4 to 5 inch star-shaped aromatic blossoms are clustered together are arranged in raceme and form a cluster at the end of the branches.

Things to remember 

• Where to plant: A sunny location in the home garden with afternoon shade is what Jhumka bel looks for. It can be conveniently draped over arbors or gazebos, on trellises, as a tall border, over a pergola, or trained as a specimen plant in a container. Any dead tree can be beautifully decorated with this vine.
• When to plant: It can be planted any time of the year except during peak summers and winters. As standard practices Feb-March and July-August is the best time. Make a pit 2’x2’ feet and two feet deep and expose it to sun for about one week. Then add equal part of FYM and mix thoroughly. Place the sapling and lightly press the soil to firm the roots. Water the plantation immediately. Maintain plant to plant distance of 10-15 feet.
• Care and Upkeep: It grows vigorously in summers and during rainy season. In winters the flowering is reduced but picks up as the climatic conditions improve. Pruning can be done any time but is best done immediately after the bloom to maintain its desired form and curtail its growth. The thorns of Rangoon creeper are formed when a leaf drops but the petiole stays and within short time the petiole hardens and grows stronger to become a climbing hook. While not very sharp, it can draw blood on impatient gardeners. Regular watering, especially in harsh summers and reduced irrigation in peak winters keep the vine in good condition. Avoid fertilisers that are high in nitrogen; they will only encourage foliage growth and not flower set.
• Importance: The flowers of this climber appear in drooping clusters and resemble a woman’s ear rings thus called, Jhumka bel. The flower buds opens as it turn dark and the fragrance cannot be missed and is the especiality of this vine. It gives profuse flowering in phased manner almost round the year. So to fill the air with fragrance, plant Rangoon Climber in and around your house.