Synonyms: 

Quisqualis glabra Burm.f.

Kleinia quadricolor Crantz

Systematic Position

Kingdom:  Plantae

Phylum: Tracheophyta

Order: Myrtales

Family: Combretaceae

Native: Tropical Asia

Common Names

English – Burma creeper

Malayalam – സന്ധ്യാറാണി /തൂക്കുചെത്തി

Description: A flowering vine with fragrant, color-changing flowers, commonly grown for ornamental purposes. Flowers in axillary or terminal spikes. Flowers are on a long calyx tube. Initially white, then turn pink and then red, fragrant with 5 petals.

Habitat: Disturbed habitats: roadsides, and wasteland

Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, New Guinea

Uses: Used for ornamental purposes in gardens, has traditional medicinal uses for treating skin ailments, and its flowers can be used for dye production and cultural ceremonies. Leaf juice or seeds, macerated in oil, are applied externally to treat boils, ulcers, parasitic skin infections and fever. Various preparations of the plant are applied both externally and internally for pain relief.