Tapeworm Plant

Tapeworm Plant, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

This is a medical plant uses as a remedy for poisonous intake by animals.

Homalocladium platycladum

Syn: Muehlenbeckia platyclada

Common: Tapeworm Plant, Ribbon bush, Centipede plant

This plant from the Polygonaceae familly has ornamental flattened stems that look like ribbons or tapeworms. They will reach 3-4 feet in pots, but in nature they will reach up to 12 feet. They are short-lived, and some plants are even leafless. This plant has small green-white flowers that appear in group in spring. It can be propagated with seeds or cuttings. It is a native to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Taken at Anakulam, Kerala, India

[Thanks Tony Rodd for the details.]

toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Homalocladium_platycladum.htm