Symplocos cochinchinensis (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Symplocos cochinchinensis (Lour.) S. Moore
- Protologue: Journ. Bot. 52: 148 (1914).
Synonyms
- Symplocos spicata Roxb. (1832),
- Symplocos laurina Wallich ex G. Don (1837),
- Symplocos javanica Kurz (1871).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: kayu dyurang, jirek (Java), kayu nyari badok, kayu salondung (Sumatra), jirak (Sundanese), kandueng (Minangkabau)
- Malaysia: medang hitam, pokok api-api (Peninsular)
- Philippines: agosip puti (Tagalog), balokbok (Sambali), upunan (Igorot)
- Cambodia: louôt chom' (Kandal), seu meut (Stung Treng), trom préi
- Thailand: lot, luut, pan (peninsular)
- Vietnam: dung bộp (southern), giung (northern), ba thưa
Distribution
India, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, China, Japan, Thailand, throughout Malesia, the Solomon Islands, eastern Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji.
Uses
In Sumatra young leaves soaked in water are chewed to treat madness. In India powdered bark is given with honey to cure biliousness, haemorrhages, diarrhoea, gonorrhoea and eye diseases. A paste of the leaves, boiled in oil, is applied to diseases of the scalp. The inner bark and leaves were often used as a mordant and yellow to red dye in the batik industry. The wood is used for house posts, furniture, frames of houses and matches. Rosaries are made from dried fruits.
Observations
A shrub to medium-sized, rarely large tree up to 22(-45) m tall.
- Leaves 12-25 cm × 3-10 cm, petiole 5-17 mm long.
- Inflorescence usually a spike.
- Flowers with glabrous, whitish corolla.
- Fruit flask-shaped to globose, 5-7 mm long.
S. cochinchinensis is very variable and 4 subspecies and numerous varieties have been distinguished. It occurs in many different habitats up to 3000 m altitude, most commonly in the understorey of primary and secondary rain forest.
Selected sources
121, 247, 249, 250, 295, 296, 334, 466, 542, 883. medicinals
Main genus page
See also Dyes and tannins
Authors
- Inggit Puji Astuti