Love-in-a-puff : Cardiospermum halicacabum

Cardiospermum halicacabum

It is commonly known as balloon vine, bishop’s cap, heart-leaved pea, heart pea, heart seed, leaved-heart pea, love-in-a-puff, smooth leaved heart pea and winter cherry. 

It is Climbers, herbaceous, 1-1.5 m. Stems and branches green, 5- or 6-sulcate, slender, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves biternate, triangular in outline; petioles 3-4 cm; leaflets subsessile; blades thinly papery, margin sparsely serrate or pinnately parted, abaxially sparsely villous on midvein and lateral veins, adaxially subglabrous or sparsely pilosulose; terminal blade obliquely lanceolate or subrhombic, 3-8 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apex acuminate; lateral ones slightly smaller, ovate or narrowly elliptic.  

Panicles few flowered, ca. as long as or slightly longer than leaves; peduncles straight, 4-8 cm, tendrils spiralled. Sepals 4, ciliate, outer 2 ovate, 8-10 mm, inner 2 narrowly elliptic, ca. 2 × as long as outer ones. Petals milky-white, obovate. Stamens (male flowers) ca. as long as or slightly longer than petals; filaments sparsely long villous. Ovary (female flowers) obovoid or sometimes subglobose, pubescent. Capsules brown, pearlike, turbinate-obtriangular or sometimes nearly ellipsoid, 1.5-3 × 2-4 cm, pubescent. Seeds black, shiny, ca. 5 mm in diam.; hilum green when fresh, white when dry, cordate.

Common Names:

 in Benin: gbantoto
in Burundi: imbogobogo, umurengo
in Cameroon: kanganga, pumpum, zikli
in Comoros: kalso, kanisso, mbamba ounango
in Congo: amoteremi, gumba, lofofo, mani mani, mubogo bogo, mubogobogo, ndakoma djombo, tototo
in Kenya: binina, binyna, etiriamit, ltugumi
in Madagascar: inasontsokina, kisangy, vallintsokina, voafaniha
in Malawi: msendezere
in Mali: dyuga, ti n’tlokoro pô
in Nigeria: garafunin, okulefo, saworo
in Rwanda: umubogobogo, umubogora, umukobora, umurengo
in Sierra Leone: gbafo-yamba, jikevié, ma-foi-ma-bana
in Southern Africa: blaasklimop, ikhambi leziduli, ikhambileziduli, legadullo le lethokhu, opblaasboontjie, uzipho, uziphu
in Sudan: hab-el-aris
in Tanzania: mwalika, nyamtumuka
in Togo: gbato-gbato, gbatogan, gbatogbato
in Uganda: kambula
in Bangladesh: nalamaiachi
in China: dao di ling, jia ku gua
in Indonesia: cenet, ketipes, parenan, paria gunung, peparé kurung
in Malaysia: bintang berahi, bintang beraleh, peria bulan, uban kayu
in Philippines: ablayon, alalayon, alalayou, angelica, bangkilong, bangkolan, bangkolon, kana, lagupok, layaw, lobo-lobohan, lobolobohan, palpaltoog, paltak vaka, paltu-paltukan, paltuk paltukan, paputukan, paria-aso, parol-parolan, parparia, parul-parolan, paspalya, purpuraok
in Thailand: kok kra om, luupleep khruea, pho om in Tibet: ka ke da
in Vietnam: ch[uf]m phong, t[aaf]m phong
in Fiji: vo niu, wa niu
in Hawaii: haleakai’a, ‘inalua, pohuehue uka, poniu

in India: agniballi, alappukkorrran, alappukku, allena, analappirapam, ankapati, arattai, ataralappu, atinayanan, attankoti, bakhate, banu uchchhe, bari-chirmi, batte kaayi balli, bekkina budde gida, bekkina thoraduballi, bekkina toddina balli, bekkina budde gida, bekkinatoddinaballi, bodha, booddakankaraakkoo, budda boosara, budda gudichi, budda kaarana theege, budda kakara, buddakaakara, buddakakara, buddakakaratige, buddakakkira, buddakankarakoo, buddalaaku, budduva, bunu-uchchhe, camuttira, camuttiratoyam, camuttirotayam, cancivimeti, cancivimetikkoti, cempam, cevikkotiyal, chirphuta, chirpota, chirputa, chitaki hambu, ciliyakkai, ciliyakkaikkoti, ciliyanai, coliyan, cotismati, cukattam, cukattan, cutcumavalli, cutukatumittan, cutukaturaiyan, ekkuduthige, ekkudutige, eramballi, erikkoti, erumballi, eruvaballi, habb-ulkalkal, habbulkalkal, habbul qulqul, habul-kalkal, indravalli, intiravalli, intiyavalli, irattapati, irumballi, jothishmathi, jottigida, jyothishmathige, jyautishmati, jyotir, jyotirlata, jyotishmati, jyotishmatitige, jyotismati, kaadatheege, kaanphodi, kaasarithige, kagdolio, kagdoliyo, kaka-mardanika, kakadni, kakadola, kakaralata, kakatikta, kakumardanika, kalegomche, kalicharmoi, kanakaaya, kanakaia, kanakaiah, kanakappirapai, kanaphata, kanaphuta, kanfuti, kangu, kangu balli, kangunge, kangunne, kanphata, kanphoota, kanphote, kanphuta, kanphute, kanphuti, kanputi, kapal phori, kapal phuta, kapalaphodi, kapalphodi, kapalphore-bel, kapalphoti, kapolavalli, karavi, karkaralatha, karnasphota (karna, ear; sphota, crack), karnaspota, karodio, kasaritige, kash, katabhi, kirivattiyam, korran, korrankoti, korravan, kotikkottan, kottavan, kotte cheppu, kuppaimulikai, kuppaimulikaikkoti, laftaf, lata, lataphatkari, lataphatki, lataphatkiri, lottan, lottankoti, madapaku, mudakkaruthan, makotaracurupi, malamai, malmai, mantalakarakam, matappalippuntu, melliyakottan, melliyakottankoti, minaju balli, minchina balli, minchuballi, mincuballi, minijuballi, modakhethan, modakkatthaan kodi, moddacoatan, modikkotan, mooda-cottan, mooda cottan, mudakathan kodi, mudakattan, mudakithan, mudakkaruththaan, mudakkathan, mudakkatran, mudakkothan, mudakothan, mudakottan, mudukkottan, mudukottam, mukamottaimuli, mutakarran, mutakkarran, mutakkaruttan, mutakkaruttankoti, mutakkattan, mutakkattankoti, mutakkorran, mutakkoruttan, mutakkottan, mutakkurran mutakottan, mutarkurran, mutkkattan, muttaittukki, muttaittukkikkoti, nagna, nakanam, nalla goolesenda, nallagoolisienda, nallagulisinda, nallagulivinda, nallagolisyanda, nallagolisyandu, nantai, napatki, nayaphataki, nellagoolisienda, nellagulisetenda, nimpatecam, nimpateci, nimpatecikkoti, nipalam, paatalithivva, painaira-wel, palloolavumpaluruvam, paravatanghi, paravati-padi, patali tivva, patalitivva, patantiravalli, payiravi, periyavilai, periyayilaimudakottan, phati, phuga (= balloon), pirotta, poak, pokapiya, pokkanapantukkikkoti, pokkanappicci, ramano, sabni, sakralata, samuttiradoyan, samuttiram, satakratulata, shib-ihul, shibjal, shibjhul, shibjub, siliyanai, sita, taftaf, tapuhi-swan, tecovam, tejavati, tejovati, tekamataraci, theega, thella gurivinda, tiptam, tirakamulakakkoti, tirakamulakam, tirakamulam, tiramulam, tirkkamulam, tirukumulam, ulina, ulinja, ulinna, ullenathige, ullenatige, upparintha, urundeburu, uzhinga, uzhinja pacha, uzhinna, uzinna, valli uzinna, varutakakkoti, varutakam, vatanaci, vekkuditege, vekkuduthige, vel, vicuvakenti, visaantaravatanaci, vullingatheega, yeruva balli, yintiriyavallikoti

Other Scientific Names:

Cardiospermum halicacabum L. 

Cardiospermum halicacabum var. angustisectum Griseb. 

Cardiospermum halicacabum var. grandiflorum A.Chev. 

Cardiospermum halicacabum var. halicacabum  
Cardiospermum halicacabum var. microcarpum (Kunth) Blume

Medicinal Uses:

1. Toxic to livestock, strongly cyanogenic. 
2. Hunting poison from the juice of th plant. 
3. Whole plant CNS-depressant, antiinflammatory, blood refrigerant and purifier, antiphlogistic, antifilarial, antiparasitic, antibacterial, analgesic, stomachic, diuretic, antidiarrheal, laxative, antidote, emetic, emmenagogue, cooling, rubefacient, diaphoretic, sudorific, antihyperglycemic, for cold, earache, fever, nervous diseases, eczema, edema, urinary tract infections, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, swellings, sprains and external wounds.
4. Whole plant crushed in groundnut oil and applied all over the body in fever, jaundice and swelling; pills from the whole plant paste used to treat asthma; plant juice fed to infants in flatulence, colic.
5. Whole plant fried with sulphur and human hairs, made into a paste with mustard oil and applied for eczema. 
6. Leaves and stalks for dysentery and diarrhea; leaves fried in groundnut oil eaten to cure waist pain.
7. Leaves for insanity, convulsion, catarrh, rheumatism, fever, indigestion, urinary complaints, venereal diseases, syphilis, skin diseases, itchy skin, swellings, sores;
8.  fresh juice of leaves removing foul smell in the ear, and also a cure for earache.
9. Necklace made from the stem cures sores. 
10. Roots laxative, purgative, astringent, antibacterial, diaphoretic, rubefacient, diuretic, emetic, antipyretic, demulcent, root powder to treat rat and snake-poisoning, cough with fever, scrotal enlargement, alopecia, anemia and jaundice, diarrhea and dysentery.
11. Root paste applied over the joints to get relief from rheumatism.
12. Bark of Holarrhena antidysenterica and roots of Cardiospermum halicacabum and Solanum torvum crushed and the paste taken for gastroenteritis.
13. Seed oil insect repellent. 
14. Veterinary medicine, for retained placenta, vaginal prolapse; 
15. Root paste applied on the body of the cattle to remove lice or other parasites; 
16. Leaf juice with the urine of young girls given orally for anorexia of cattle; 
17. Leaves used for filariasis (philariasis).
18. Leaf paste applied locally for rheumatism; leaves decoction given orally for rheumatism.
19. Leaves ground with stem bark of Carissa spinarum given in fevers.
20. Leaves of Andrographis paniculata along with those of Vitex negundo, Cardiospermum halicacabum, tubers of Curculigo orchioides and Urginea indica pounded and extract given for ephemeral fever.
21. Contact therapy, a necklace from seeds hung around neck to keep contagious diseases from children. retained placenta, vaginal prolapse; root paste applied on the