Ochrosia oppositifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Protologue: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 4(2): 156 (1895).

Family: Apocynaceae

Ochrosia oppositifolia (Lamk) K. Schum. - 1, flowering branch; 2, flower; 3, dissected flower; 4, fruit

Synonyms

Bois jaune (Fr)
Indonesia: upas laki-laki (Malay, Moluccas), songgo langit (Javanese), lau lite (Ambon)
Philippines: ginlin (Sulu)
Vietnam: chai lang, chai bông.

O. oppositifolia is found throughout South-East Asia, on the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the coast of tropical Asia.

In Vietnam, bark, wood and leaves are credited with febrifugal and stomachic properties.

A shrub or tree up to 45 m tall, trunk up to 50 cm in diameter.
Leaves in whorls of 3-4(-5), usually obovate, rarely elliptical, (4.5-)8-36 cm × (1.5-)3-18 cm, base decurrent onto the petiole, apex often rounded to obtuse, sometimes apiculate, rarely truncate or shallowly retuse, petiole 1-6.5 cm long.
Inflorescence axillary and terminal cyme, in whorls of 2-4, peduncle 0.5-13.5 cm long, congested, many-flowered.
Flowers fragrant, pedicellate, sepals ovate, 1-2.2 mm × 0.7-1.6 mm, obtuse, thick, green, corolla tube (4-)5-10(-12) mm long, corolla lobes narrowlyelliptical, (4-)5-9(12) mm × 2-3 mm, stamens included.
Fruit consisting of 2 separate mericarps, mericarps ellipsoid or ovoid, 5-8 cm × 3-5.5 cm, mesocarp fibrous, united with the stone, green and turning yellow when ripe.
Seed suborbicular to elliptical, 25 mm × 20 mm, thin, winged.

O. oppositifolia is found along the seashore, in coastal forest, less often inland, often on limestone, but not in the mangrove.

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