1033

 Cyclea  peltata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thoms

Synonym	:	Clypea burmanni (DC.) Wight & Arn.
Family	:	Menispermaceae
Local name	:	Malayalam- Padathali
Flowering and fruiting period	:	April-June
Distribution	:	India and Sri Lanka
Distribution in kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Semi-evergreen and evergreen forests, also in the plains
Uses	:	Roots are used as medicine for treating skin diseases, wounds and snake bite. Root juice used as nasal drops for headache.
Key Botanical Characters: Climbing shrubs; Leaves simple, alternate, peltate, 8-10 x 6-7 cm, ovate, apex acute or acuminate, base cordate,mnargins entire; 4-8 ribbed, pubescent below. Panicles to 20 x 7 cm, rachis pubescent;Ffowers densely packed towards the branch tips, sessile, densely hairy. Male flowers 1.5 mm across; sepals hairy outside; petals glabrous. Female flowers smaller; sepal-1, hairy; petal-1, hairy; carpel one, densely hairy. Drupe 4 mm dia, subglobose, white, pilose.