Envis Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India

Printed Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024

List of RET Climber species of the Southern Western Ghats

Sl. No

Botanical name

Family

Uses

Status

1.

Abrus fruticulosus Wight & Arn.

Fabaceae

Medicinal

Data Deficient ver 3.1 2012, IUCN

2.

Aganosma cymosa (Roxb.) G. Don,

Apocynaceae

Medicinal

Rare  

3.

Ampelocissus latifolia (Roxb.) Planch.

Vitaceae

Medicinal

Vulnerable

4.

Argyreia nervosa (Burm. fil.) Bojer

Convolvulaceae

Medicinal

Rare

5.

Aristolochia tagala Cham.

Aristalochiaceae

Medicinal

Nearly threatened

6.

Asparagus fysonii J.F.Macbr

Liliaceae

Edible

Rare

7.

Asparagus racemosus Willd.

Liliaceae

Medicinal & Edible

Threatened

8.

Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn.

Fabaceae

Medicinal

Endemic To Western Ghats

9.

Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Arn.

Fabaceae

Medicinal

Rare

10.

Celastrus paniculatus Willd.

Celastraceae

Medicinal

Nearly threatened]

11.

Ceropegia mannarana P.Umam. & P.Daniel

Asclepiadaceae

Medicinal

Endangered

12.

Corallocarpus gracilipes Cogn.

Cucurbitaceae

Medicinal

Intermediate

13.

Coscinium fenestratum (Goetgh.) Colebr.

Menispermaceae

Medicinal

Critically endangered

14.

Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach

Cucurbitaceae

Edible

Rare

15.

Gloriosa superba L.

Liliaceae

Medicinal

Endangered

16.

Grewia heterotricha Mast.

Tiliaceae

Medicinal

Endangered

17.

Gymnema khandalense Santapau

Asclepiadaceae

Endengered

18.

Hemidesmus indicus R. Br.

Asclepiadaceae

Medicinal

Depleted in Western Ghats

19.

Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sweet

Convolvulaceae

Vulnerable

20.

Ipomoea muelleri Benth.

Convolvulaceae

Rare

21.

Ipomoea rumicifolia Choisy

Convolvulaceae

Rare

22.

Operculina turpethum (L.) Silva Manso.

Convolvulaceae

Endangered]

23.

Oxystelma esculentum (L. f.) R. Br. ex Schult.

Asclepiadaceae

Medicinal

Least concern (IUCN 2011)

24.

Passiflora leschenaultii DC.

Passifloraceae

Edible

Endemic to peninsular India]

25.

Piper longum L.

Piperaceae

Edible

Endangered

26.

Pterolobium hexapetalum (Roth) Santapau & Wagh

Mimosaceae

Medicinal

Endemic to peninsular India

27.

Pueraria tuberosa DC.

Fabaceae

Vulnerable

28.

Rubus racemosus Roxb.

Rosaceae

Edible

Rare

29.

Sarcostemma viminale (L.) R.Br.

Asclepiadaceae

Endangered

30.

Smilax wightii A. DC.

Smilacaceae

Edible

Endemic to Southern western Ghats

31.

Smilax zeylanica L.

Smilacaceae

Edible

Least concern

32.

Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi

Cucurbitaceae

Edible

Intermediate

33.

Toxocarpus beddomei Gamble

Asclepiadaceae

Rare

 

Source: Ariyan Sarvalingam and Arumugam Rajendran, R are, Endangered and Threatened (RET) climbers of Southern Western Ghats, India, Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 2016.