Ventilago

Ventilago
Ventilago viminalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rhamnaceae
Tribe:	Ventilagineae
Genus:	Ventilago Gaertn. [1]
Species
See text
Synonyms [1]
ApteronKurz EnrilaBlanco KurzindaKuntze

Ventilago denticulata

Ventilago is a genus of plants in the family Rhamnaceae. It includes about 40 species found in the tropics of South and SE Asia, Australasia, with one species each in Africa and Madagascar. ^[2]

Plants in this genus are evergreen vines, scandent shrubs, or (rarely) small trees. Inflorescences emerge from the leaf axils and may consist of solitary flowers or glomerules . Petals are absent in some species, e.g. Ventilago ecorollata . The fruit is a single-seeded samara with a wing attached at the apex. ^[2]

The roots of Ventilago neocaledonica are used in Vanuatu to produce a crimson red dye (known in some local languages as labwa^{[ what language is this? ]} or labwe^{[ what language is this? ]} which is used to pattern traditional textiles.^{[ citation needed ]}

Species

As of December 2025 ^[update] , Plants of the World Online accepts the following 40 species: ^[1]

• Ventilago africana Exell
• Ventilago borneensis Ridl.
• Ventilago brunnea Merr.
• Ventilago buxoides Baill.
• Ventilago crenata Cahen & Utteridge
• Ventilago cristata Pierre
• Ventilago denticulata Willd.
• Ventilago dichotoma (Blanco) Merr.
• Ventilago diffusa (G.Don) Exell
• Ventilago ecorollata (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
• Ventilago elegans Hemsl.
• Ventilago ferruginea Cahen & Utteridge
• Ventilago flavovirens Cahen & Utteridge
• Ventilago gamblei Suess.
• Ventilago gladiata Pierre
• Ventilago goughii Gamble
• Ventilago harmandiana Pierre
• Ventilago inaequilateralis Merr. & Chun
• Ventilago kurzii Ridl.
• Ventilago lanceolata Merr.
• Ventilago leiocarpa Benth.
• Ventilago leptadenia Tul.
• Ventilago lucens Miq.
• Ventilago madraspatana Gaertn.
• Ventilago maingayi M.A.Lawson
• Ventilago malaccensis Ridl.
• Ventilago microcarpa K.Schum.
• Ventilago multinervia Merr.
• Ventilago neocaledonica Schltr.
• Ventilago nisidai Kaneh.
• Ventilago palawanensis Elmer
• Ventilago pauciflora Pit.
• Ventilago pseudocalyculata Guillaumin
• Ventilago pubiflora W.D.Francis
• Ventilago sororia Hance
• Ventilago tinctoria Cahen, Toussirot & Pillon
• Ventilago vanuatuana Cahen, Toussirot & Pillon
• Ventilago viminalis Hook.
• Ventilago vitiensis A.Gray
• Ventilago zhengdei G.S.Fan

References

1. "Ventilago Gaertn". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
2. Medan, D.; Schirarend, C. (2004). "Rhamnaceae". In Kubitzki, K. (ed.). The Families and Genera of Flowering Plants: Volume VI. Berlin: Springer. p. 334. ISBN   978-3-642-05714-4.