Mussaenda frondosa

Mussaenda frondosa, commonly known as the wild mussaenda or dhobi tree, is a plant of family Rubiaceae. It is a shrub that grows to about 1.5–2 m (4 ft 11 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall. Like most other Mussaenda species, they have a bract beneath their flowers, which in this species is white in colour.[2]

Mussaenda frondosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Mussaenda
Species:
M. frondosa
Binomial name
Mussaenda frondosa
Synonyms[1]
  • Gardenia frondosa (L.) Lam.
  • Mussaenda belilla Buch.-Ham.
  • Mussaenda dovinia Buch.-Ham.
  • Mussaenda flavescens Buch.-Ham.
  • Mussaenda formosa L. nom. illeg.
  • Mussaenda fruticosa L.
  • Mussaenda ingrata Wall. ex Hook.f.
  • Mussaenda macrophylla Kurz nom. illeg.
  • Mussaenda sumatrensis B.Heyne ex Roth
  • Mussaenda tomentosa Wight ex Hook.f. nom. inval.
  • Mussaenda villosa Schltdl. ex Hook.f. nom. illeg.

Description

The shrub may also grow as a scandent climber. The flowers are clusters of orange-yellow tubular flowers with one of their five sepals enlarged into a white petal-like form, set among pale green, oval leaves; berries follow the bloom. The erect, branching stem has a shrubby crown.

Distribution

Mussaenda frondosa is native to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Fruit

References
  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. Jayaweera, Don M. A. (1963). "The Rubiaceous Genus Mussaenda: The Morphology of the Asiatic Species". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 44 (1): 111–126. ISSN 0004-2625. JSTOR 43781456.
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