ARGYREIA NERVOSA. 



ELEPHANT CREEPER. 



NATURAL ORDER, CONVOLVULACEiE. 



HE English name of this plant gives a very fair idea of the size 

 and magnitude to which it growls. Ferminger has briefly de- 

 scribed its luxuriant and massive growth as follows: "It is quite 

 unmanageable in a garden unless it can be trained up some tree or out- 

 house." 



Roxburgh has a description of this plant under the name of " Lett- 

 somia Nervosa," and mentions a rather strange occurrence, viz., that he 

 "had some seeds sent him from England called 'Convolvulus Speciosus,' 

 but which produced this identical plant. Stigma, &c., perfectly the same 

 as in the original Bengal plant." 



It is a native of forests and hedges, and is one of the largest species 

 of convolvulacese known. 



The leaves are heart-shaped, and grow to a large size ; they are 

 smooth on the upper side, with parallel veins, and have a beautiful silky 

 down underneath. The stems also are covered with silky down, and are 

 of a pretty cream colour. 



The umbels of the flowers are deep and very large. They generally 

 grow in bunches, and the " bractes " "many, large, oval, white, waved, 

 pointed, and caducous." (Roxb.) 



It is these white, crinkled-looking bractes which are one of the 

 characteristics of the plant. They form a beautiful contrast to the dark 

 handsome flowers. 



It blossoms in Bengal during July and August, and seeds profusely. 



I have seen it growing over a skeleton shed made of cross bars of 

 wood, but during the time it was at the height of its perfection the shed 

 had the appearance, when inside, of being thickly thatched, from the 

 luxuriant and heavy growth of this plant. 



During the cold weather it casts its leaves and looks equally bare 

 and deplorable. 



Major Drury mentions that this plant grows in the Malabar forests 

 and in hedges in the Peninsula. He also states, quoting Ainslie and 

 Gibson, that it is useful in pharmacy, the native doctors making different 

 uses of the upper and under parts of the leaves. 



For industrial purposes the " Elephant Creeper" does not appear to 

 be conspicuous, as far as I can ascertain. 



