Telosma Cordata: Facts, Growth, Care and Uses

Telosma Cordata is a creeper and has medicinal properties. Check out this guide on how to grow Telosma Cordata in your home garden.

Telosma cordata is a creeper, a twining vine member of the milkweed family. Also, you might wish to add Telosma Cordata to your garden. Telosma Cordata, also known as Tonkin jasmine, is a native of China with spectacular clusters of fragrant, edible blossoms (in fact, they are utilised in preparing many Asian dishes).

Growing Tonkin jasmine on a trellis in your garden area can provide some pleasant shade. This is a beautiful way to enjoy the rich aroma and blossoms it produces. Also, it will enhance the beauty of your entranceway or arbour.

Telosma Cordata: Factsheet

Scientific Name Telosma cordata
Origin The plant is native to India, South China, Indochina, and Burma
Shape Round with pointed ends
Colour Green
Plant distribution Southeast, North and South America, East and South Asia, Europe
Family Apocynaceae
Genus Telosma
Species Cordata

 

Telosma Cordata: Overview

Source: Wikimedia

Telosma cordata is a species of flowering plant belonging to the Apocynaceae family that is native to China and Indo-China. Some other common names of this plant are cowslip creeper, Tonkinese creeper, Sabidokung, Tonkin jasmine, and Pakalana vine. The plant blooms in clusters along the vining stem throughout the summer with golden yellow blossoms. Over a few weeks, each bloom releases a daytime and nighttime fragrance that is intense and rich.

 

Description

Leaves

Telosma cordata has a creep radius of up to 16 feet. Although the twining vine and its leaves are both green, when the plant is young, the vine eventually turns brown.

Heart-shaped and with a sharp tip, the green leaves are in a heart shape. Even though they grow in pairs, it is not unusual to have four pairs of leaves on a stem. Keep a watch on your sabidukong or Tonkin jasmine vine to make sure it is creeping in the direction you want. Young vines could desire to saunter and climb, even on strings. About 2-4 inches long and smooth, the green leaves have apparent veins.

Flowers

In the nodes where the leaves are, the flowers typically grow. Initially green, the flowers grow in clusters of 10 to 30 or more over several weeks before fully developing and opening. Between late spring and autumn, the colour of the flower buds changes from green to yellow as they grow and blossom.

The blooming of the flowers occurs in bunches rather than all at once; the remaining flowers follow the first. With its five yellow petals, the Telosma cordata opens and creates a star-like shape. Each petal’s inside is a stunning shade of yellow, yet the top and base are yellowish to greenish in shade. Tonkin jasmine flowers typically have a strong aroma at night. Usually, the flower blooms from March to May. 

Consumption and dishes of Telosma Cordata

Telosma cordata blossoms are utilised in dishes from nations including the Philippines, China, Vietnam, and India, as well as consumed in those countries.

The Ilocano cuisines pinakbet and dinengdeng, which are popular in the Philips, include flowery clusters together with other vegetables. The Filipino cuisine tortang talong, or eggplant omelet, which substitutes beaten eggs for eggplant, can also be prepared with it as a breakfast dish. As well as being sautéed or cooked in coconut milk, it is also prepared with squash.

Whether served with glass noodles or not, it also mixes well with mung beans. Consider adobo for individuals who like long beans (cooked with vinegar and soy sauce). Given that the two make a great pairing, it is also worthwhile to test.

While some take the simple path and merely cook the flowers and eat them stir-fried with oyster sauce, others use the blooms of Telosma cordata as an ingredient in soups like egg soup. The blooms of cowslip creeper are required in a Thai dish that includes fried vermicelli with mushrooms and is seasoned with light soy sauce and oyster sauce.

 

Precautions with Telosma Cordata

  • Allergic people should avoid consuming it
  • Before treating health conditions, consult the health practitioner

 

Telosma Cordata: Health benefits

 

  • Telosma Cordata is not only delicious, but it also provides the body with proteins, folic acid, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients. 
  • Conjunctivitis and tiredness are both treated with oil obtained from Telosma cordata. 
  • Backbone aches are also treated with this, and it also lowers hematuria.

 

Some cures from Telosma Cordata

Good for weight loss

Telosma cordata flowers are a fantastic option that should not be ignored by anyone looking to lose weight and fight obesity. Telosma Cordata flowers contain a lot of fibre, chlorophyll, and relatively few calories, which is why they have a weight-loss impact. 

Therefore, foods cooked with Telosma Cordata flowers will increase feelings of fullness and reduce fat absorption when consumed, thereby supporting weight loss for those who are overweight or obese.

Prevent heat rash

Children’s heat rash becomes a typical health issue during the hot summer. Although it is not harmful to children’s health, it does cause discomfort and itching. Cook flour or porridge for your infant to consume with crushed sage flowers to prevent this. Telosma Cordata flowers have a cold taste, and a cooling impact, and assist the body to detoxify. Thus this meal can promote the treatment of heat rash.

Sedative, anti-insomnia

The flower is said to be a sedative in oriental medicine and improve sleep for the patient. We can make the sea of Telosma cordata flowers in the following ways to combat insomnia: 

  1. Use 50 g of each of the Telosma cordata flowers and neem leaves. 
  2. Then wash and prepare soup to consume. 
  3. By eating for a week, sleeplessness will dramatically improve.

A sedative effect is also produced when the Telosma cordata flower is cooked with minced beef or carp fish. This helps to enhance the quality of sleep.

Helping people with hemorrhoids

The Telosma cordata flower is also regarded as a very nutritious diet for those who suffer from hemorrhoids.

Additionally, this flower contains potent natural antibacterial properties that aid in getting rid of microorganisms and stopping inflammation. The elements included in sage flowers also have the effect of speeding up the healing of wounds.

Cook Thien Ly flower spring rolls or Telosma cordata flower crab soup for people who have hemorrhoids to add to their daily diet of nutritious foods. Not only are these homey recipes wonderful, but they also offer a cooling effect, boost resistance, and aid in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

 

The temperature at which Telosma Cordata grows

Telosma cordata flowers initiate at 18 C or above during long days (LD). At 21C and 24C, inflorescence initiation happens after three weeks of LD, and the clusters expand to 6 mm in another two weeks. At 18C, however, it takes roughly 12 weeks for the clusters to reach that length. This length is crucial because a shorter stage frequently doesn’t develop further. Cluster development from a length of 6 mm to anthesis takes 3–4 weeks at 24°C, 4–5 weeks at 21°C, and 6–7 weeks at 18°C.

 

How to grow Telosma Cordata in your home garden?

  • Start Telosma cordata seeds or a cutting indoors in a container. The vine needs well-drained soil, so select a container with bottom drainage holes. Fill the container with potting soil combined with organic material, such as compost, to within an inch of the top rim.
  • Make sure the extra water is flowing out of the bottom of the container adequately before watering it fully and letting it drain.
  • Spread out a few seeds over the soil in the container and gently press them down into the soil about 1/2 inches. Do not pat the seed down; push the soil on top of it. Alternately, cover the bottom of a cutting with rooting hormone, make a finger hole in the ground, and put the cutting into it. To support the stem of the plant, pour soil around the cutting’s base and pat it down firmly with your finger.
  • Put the container in a warm, sunny location. The ideal temperature range for Telosma cordata is between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit; it should not be kept in a draught or close to an air conditioner vent. For optimum growth, don’t expose it to temperatures lower than 60 degrees.
  • When the vine is 6 to 12 inches long, move it outdoors; it should be planted in well-drained soil with direct sunlight. When the plant starts to establish itself and again when it starts to blossom, keep the soil moist, but avoid letting the roots sit in water. As the vine grows, provide its support with a trellis, building, fence, etc.
  • Every year, following the plant’s spring blooming period to promote new growth, use a general fertilizer for tropical plants.
  • Telosma cordata should be pruned in the winter when growth is slower. With pruning shears, trim the vine back to control its growth and promote more blossoming in the spring. Remove any dead stems or leaves.

 

FAQs

What type of soil does Telosma cordata use?

Telosma cordata prefers well-drained sandy loam with a pH between 6.1 and 7.5,

What is Sabidukong in English?

It is called Tonkin jasmine in English

Which months are preferable for the growth of Telosma cordata?

Summer months are likely preferable for the growth of Telosma cordata.

Can you grow Telosma cordata from cuttings?

Propagate Telosma cordata by seeds, woody cuttings, or air layering.

Is Telosma Cordata edible?

Yes, it is edible and used to cure many diseases.

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