Ichnocarpus frutescens is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, known by the English common name black creeper.[2] It is native to much of China, India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.[1][3]
It is a woody shrub with lianas sprawling to 10 m (33 ft) in maximum length and 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter. The bark produces a creamy white sap. The leaves are up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long by 4.5 cm (1.8 in) wide. The inflorescence is a head of several flowers. Each flower has a calyx of densely hairy sepals and a five lobed corolla just under a centimeter long. The fruit is a follicle which may be over 14 cm (5.5 in) long. The roots may be reddish or purple. The plant is sold in markets in some areas in India.[4]
^Li, Bingtao; Leeuwenberg, Antony J. M.; Middleton, David J. (2008) [1995]. Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P. H. (eds.). "Ichnocarpus frutescens, Apocynaceae, Vol. 16". Flora of China. Online access. St. Louis, MO & Cambridge, MA.: Missouri Botanical Garden Press and Harvard University Herbaria. Retrieved 9 Mar 2013.