Photo taken by the writer shows the Rangon Creeper, which is native to the Asian tropics. IT is not difficult to be attracted to the ‘Rangoon Creeper’ (Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps), with its multi-coloured small flowers dotting all over a small shrub.
Also known as the ‘Drunken Sailor’, ‘Akar Dani’, ‘Akar Suloh’, ‘Akar Pontianak’ and ‘Red Jasmine’, this species ‘creeps’ over the fence and produces large sprays of blooms, which are sometimes in red, and sometimes, in violet. Native to the Asian tropics, this plant has versatile growth habits. It is also hardy in nature, able to climb up to a height of 8m.
The most distinguishing feature of the Rangoon Creeper is its exquisite flowers – initially sprouting out as white tubes, but eventually and transforming into pink, before turning into the recognisable crimson hue as the plant matures. Its colour transformation is visually appealing, but more importantly, it attracts a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. This plant has garnered admiration from landscapers, gardeners and even botanists, in view of this wonderful feature.
Combretum indicum belongs to the Combretaceae family. It is a vigorously-growing vine that is difficult to eliminate once it has been established on the ground, as the roots would have spread and produced many plantlets. Based on my own experience growing this ‘naughty’ plant, it is much-advised to plant it outside the fence so as to better .