Common Name: Green milkweed climber, Sneeze wort. Tamil Name: Kodippaalai.
Sneeze wort is native to the Indian subcontinent and often found in the fringes of moist deciduous forest areas of Tamilnadu. The young shoots are rusty in color and the plant twins over nearby plants and hedges. The simple leaves are arranged in an opposite manner; the leaf margin is entire. The leaf stalk and leaf measure around 2.7 cm and 7 cm respectively. The leaves are ovate in shape, with a cordate base and an acute apex. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary dropping umbel. The flowers are greenish in color and the stigma is dome shaped. The fruit is in the form of a follicle with a blunt tip. The seeds have cottony attachments and dispersed by wind. Sneeze wort is the larval host plant for Blue tiger and Dark blue tiger butterflies. Sneeze wort is used in traditional systems of Indian medicine as an anti-diabetic and also used in the treatment of snake bites.
