Common Name: Potato creeper, Brazilian nightshade. Tamil Name: Koriikikodi
Potato creeper is a woody thorn-less vine of South American origin, often planted in Tamilnadu for its handsome flowers. The plant can also be seen around forest edges around the foothills of Nigiri Mountains. The leaves are pinnatifid: but almost look compound. The leaves are almost sessile with entire margin. The leaf base of smaller leaves are oblique and the tip is acuminate. The leaf stalk measure around 2.1 cm in length. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary cyme, the flower is five segmented and petals are violet in color. The flowers are seen in large bunches and hanging down from the branches. The flower stalk is around 1.5 cm; the flower measurers around 1.8 cm across. The five stamens are held together at the center of the flower with one pistil seen above the stamen line. The fruit is in the form of a globose berry with many seeds. The seeds much sort after by birds and are dispersed by them. Brazilian nightshade is considered as an aggressive weed in many countries. The fruit is poisonous to humans and animals.
