Ornamental, melliferous plant. Honey nectar plants.

Twining liana, attaining 6 m in length. Stem much branched from the base; branches cylindrical, somewhat compressed in the area of the nodes, glabrous or puberulous, usually with the pith hollow; adult stems deciduous, with 3 persistent spines at the nodes. Leaves opposite or subopposite; blades 6-17.5 × 2.2-7 cm, elliptical, oblong, or lanceolate, chartaceous, the apex acuminate, the base rounded, the margins entire; upper surface glabrous, with a prominent midvein; lower surface ferruginous-tomentulose or puberulous, with prominent venation; petioles 5-12 mm long. Flowers sessile or subsessile, in terminal spikes or racemes on short lateral branches. Hypanthium green, tubular, 4-6.5 mm long, pubescent; sepals green, triangular, ca. 2 mm long; petals 5, oblong or oblanceolate, 1-1.5 cm long, pink, turning red when mature; stamens exserted, the filaments unequal; disc absent; style exserted. Fruit elliptical in outline, angular, with 5 narrow wings, ca. 3 cm long. C. indicum is a vigorous climber, and grows with stems twining to the left. The flowers, which open at dusk, are initially white but gradually turn red during the next day. Flowers are short-lived, lasting just three days and with most nectar present on the morning of the first day. At night the white flowers are visited by hawk moths, during the day the pink and red flowers are visited by a wide range of pollinators such as solitary bees, honey bees, flies and sunbirds.

Cultivated in nurseries, Grows in gardens, parks, homes, and roadsides.