Taxon: Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. ex Sm.

Summary

Genus:

Gymnema

Family:

Apocynaceae

Subfamily:

Asclepiadoideae

Tribe:

Marsdenieae

Nomen number:

103257

Place of publication:

A. Rees, Cycl. 17: Gymnema no. 4. 1811

Protologue link:

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39486419

Verified:

04/26/2023 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

0 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System.

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Periploca sylvestris Retz.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Marsdenia sylvestris (Retz.) P. I. Forst.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
Berhaut, J. 1971-. Flore illustrée du Senegal.
Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Farr, E. R. et al., eds. 1979, 1986. Index nomina genericorum Note: 1979; suppl. 1986
Forster, P. I. 1995. Circumscription of Marsdenia (Asclepiadaceae: Marsdenieae), with a revision of the genus in Australia and Papuasia. Austral. Syst. Bot. 8:694. Note: = Marsdenia sylvestris (Retz.) P. I. Forst.
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Harvey, W. H. & O. W. Sonder, eds. v. 1-3; W. T. Thiselton Dyer & A. W. Hill, eds. v. 4-7. 1860-1993. Flora capensis Note: v. 1-3:1860-1865; v. 4-7:1896-1933
Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Saldanha, C. J. & D. H. Nicolson. 1976. Flora of Hassan district.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Genera of South African plants, ed. 2.

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	seq	Citation
English	gymnema		1	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
English	miracle-fruit		1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
English	ram's-horn		1	PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Chinese	chi geng teng	匙羹藤	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Swedish	gymnema		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Chad		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Eritrea		Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia		Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Cape Province	Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Limpopo	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Mpumalanga	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Transvaal	Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Benin		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mauritania		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo		Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Burundi		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Central African Republic		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Congo		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Equatorial Guinea		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Gabon		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen		Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Fujian Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Yunnan Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Zhejiang Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Ryukyu Islands	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Andhra Pradesh	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Assam	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Bihar	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Goa	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Gujarat	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Karnataka	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Kerala	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Madhya Pradesh	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Maharashtra	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Odisha	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Rajasthan	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Tamil Nadu	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Uttar Pradesh	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	West Bengal	Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka		Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa [Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Transvaal]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Yemen
CHINA: China [Fujian Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Ryukyu Islands], Taiwan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal], Sri Lanka
INDO-CHINA: Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia

Cultivated
Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India

Reference(s)

PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Arnold, T. H. & B. C. De Wet, eds. 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa no. 62
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Jagtap. A. P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 24:89-91.
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Medicines	folklore	Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.
Medicines	folklore	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=103257. Accessed 19 October 2026.