Paederia scandens

Plant profile

Paederia scandens

Morphological Characteristics

• Paederia scandens is a slender, glabrous, twining shrub, foetid when bruised.
• Its leaves are opposite 5-15X1.8- 5.0 cm in dimension with long petiole, ovate or lanceolate, base acute or rounded.
• Petiole is 1.0- 2.5 cm long.
• Flowers are in panicles, 5-12 cm long, puberulous, cymose at the extremity and bracts are minute and ovate.

Floral Characteristics

• Flowers are sessile and pedicelled; calyx is small, tube campanulate; corolla is tomentose.
• Fruit is crowned by the conical disk and minute calyx-teeth.

Distribution

It is mainly found in lower tracts of Eastern Himalayan States viz. Assam, Bengal and Bihar, North East States upto 800 meter.

Climate and Soil

• The crop can be grown under the hot and humid climatic conditions, where average relative humidity is high (85%) and maximum & minimum temperature varies between 16°C and 30°C respectively and rainfall is 150-200 cm.
• It is cultivated in plains to a higher altitude upto 600 m above msl. Soil should be sandy-loam and acidic in nature.

Propagation Material

Vegetative propagation by cuttings.

Agro-technique

Nursery Technique

• Raising Propagules: Cuttings may be planted in raised beds at 10 cm apart row and 5 cm within a row. Double node stem with leaves is recommended for planting in the month of August and September. Seed germination is low around 25-30%.
• Propagule Rate and Pretreatment: 22,400 cuttings/ha are required. Growth hormone like IBA may be used for early sprouting.

Planting in the Field

• Land Preparation and Fertilizer Application: Land should be prepared to fine tilth before planting. FYM @ 15- 20 t/ha can be applied for good initial growth. NPK @ 100:50:50 kg/ha may be applied by broadcasting. A dose of nitrogen based fertilizer at 40 kg may be applied after each harvest.
• Transplanting and Optimum Spacing: Best time of transplanting sprouted cuttings is during September in Assam. Staking is to be provided when it attains a height of 90 cm or over. Optimum spacing is recommended at 60X60 cm.
• Intercropping System: Winter vegetables may be grown as intercrop.
• Interculture and Maintenance Practices: Hoeing along with weeding, is necessary at 45 days after planting; thereafter, once in a year.
• Irrigation Practices: It is a rainfed crop in Assam.
• Weed Control: Weeding is done at 60 and 90 days after transplantation. However, where-ever pre-emergence weedicide like simazine @ 2.0 kg/ha, or oxyflurefen@2.0 kg/ha is applied, the weeding could be delayed to 120 days and thereafter after each harvest.
• Disease and Pest Control: No pest and diseases have been observed in the trial plantation.

Harvest Management

• Crop Maturity and Harvesting: Crop matures after six months. First harvest of vines can be done at 6 months (March-April) from the date after transplantation; thereafter, at 4 months interval (July-August and October-November). Winter harvesting is not advisable.
• Chemical Constituents: Plant contains friedelan-3-one, β-sitosterol and epifriedelinol; the leaves and stem gave iridoid glycosides – asperuloside, paederoside and scandoside; sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol; ursolic acid, hentriacontane, hentriacontanol, ceryl alcohol, palmitic acid and methyl mercaptan.
• Yield: Yield 1.2 t/ha (Dry weight basis) annually.

Paederia scandens in field

Therapeutic Uses

• Whole plant is used in Indian System of Medicines.
• The plant is considered specific for treating rheumatism and all types of neurological diseases.
• It is extensively used in paraplegia, rheumatism and sciatica.