Common Name: Rubber vine. Tamil Name: Palai
Rubber vine is often seen planted in Tamilnadu as an ornamental shrub with climbing tendency; it grows to a height of about 1.5 meters in height. The plant has a milky sap and is considered poisonous. The simple leaves are arranged in an opposite manner; the leaves are glossy green in color. The leaf stalk and leaf length measure around 6 mm and 8.3 cm respectively. The leaves are ovate in shape; with an acute tip and an cuneate base. The flowers were seen in terminal cymes. The flower stalk measure around 5.2 cm in length. The flower measures around 5 cm in length and around 7 cm across. The flowers has five partitions which are joined below to form a funnel shaped flower; petals are purple in color. The calyx is green in color with five sepal segments. The fruit in in the form of a paired follicle. The seeds are ovate in shape with cottony attachment. In Australia this plant is considered as an invasive. Rubber vine is a native of Madagascar.
