🌿 "L I A N A S” 🌿

Dear Nature Enthusiasts,

Combretum latifolium, commonly known as Piluki, from the Combretaceae family is native to Tropical Asia, extending to South China. This large, woody climber thrives in semi-evergreen to evergreen forests, where it plays a crucial ecological role.

Interestingly, there is one more species by the same common name, Combretum albidum that is widely distributed through moist, dry deciduous forests having similar ecological role with slightly different flowers and smaller fruits.

The plant’s woody stems are distinctive, often covered with large warts or lumps at the base.

Its leaves are simple, arranged in an opposite decussate pattern, and have an elliptic-obovate shape with a rounded base.
Piluki produces fragrant, nectar-rich flowers that attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and birds. The greenish-white flowers grow in terminal and axillary panicles of dense spikes, with a funnel-shaped calyx tube.

Piluki’s fruit is ovoid, brightly colored, featuring four half-circular wings that aid in wind dispersal, ensuring its spread across forested landscapes. The climber looks beautiful with those pink-red fruit laden branches. Flowering and fruiting occur between February and May, marking an important period for both pollinators and seed dispersers in its habitat.

The plant is particularly valued by tribal communities, who preserve it for its ability to store water in its thick, woody stem - a vital resource during droughts. Beyond its role in local ecology, Piluki has multiple traditional uses. Its extracts have been used as a natural insecticide, a dye source, and in folk medicine for treating fevers and skin ailments.

Regards,
Ketaki & Manasi
With Team oikos !

(This text is a part of the Wallpaper Calendar Campaign sent by 'oikos' every month since 2006.)
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www.oikos.in

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