Rangoon Creeper
Combretum indicum
The flowers change color from white to pink to deep red over a three-day cycle, signaling their age and nectar availability to different daytime and nighttime pollinators.
- Scientific name
- Combretum indicum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Myrtales › Combretaceae › Combretum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical rainforest margins, riverbanks, secondary thickets, and urban gardens.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
- Range
- Southeast Asia, Southern China, India, Tropical Africa (introduced), Mesoamerica (introduced)
- Size
- Woody climbing vine growing 2.5 to 8 meters in length
- Lifespan
- 20 to 50 years
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- No major threats; highly resilient and widely cultivated, occasionally becoming invasive in non-native tropical ecosystems.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and beautiful to admire. However, the seeds are toxic if ingested, containing compounds that can cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Keep pets away from fallen seed pods. If seeds are consumed in large quantities, seek medical attention.
Combretum indicum , also known as the Chinese honeysuckle or Rangoon creeper , is a vine with red flower clusters and is found in Asia. It is found in many other parts of the world either as a cultivated ornamental or run wild. Other names for the plant include Quiscual (in Spanish), Niyog-niyogan (in Filipino), Madhu Malti or Madhumalti (in Hindi), ମଧୁ ମାଳତି Madhumalati (in Odia), Madhabilata (মাধবীলতা in Bengali; named by Rabindranath Tagore), Malati ( মালতী in
Photo: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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