Vella Thumbai

Description

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