Rauvolfia reflexa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Rauvolfia reflexa Teijsm. & Binnend.

Protologue: Nat. Tijd. Ned. Ind. 3: 329 (1852).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: ki benteli (Sundanese), lameh, lameh utan (Java).

Distribution

Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Uses

The bark is reported to serve as a laxative.

Observations

• A small tree up to 15 m tall with bole up to 25 cm in diameter.
• Leaves 3-4-verticillate, obovate-elliptical, 6-21 cm × 3.5-6.5 cm, petiole thin, up to 1.5(-2.5) cm long.
• Flowers with campanulate-infundibuliform corolla tube 2-3 times the length of the calyx.
• Fruit subglobose with a broad obtuse base.

R. reflexa is closely related to R. javanica and R. sumatrana. It occurs in lowland rain forest, also in forest edges, open places and beach forest, up to 1000 m altitude.

Selected sources

• [97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [905] Markgraf, F., 1984. Florae Malesianae Praecursores LXIV. Apocynaceae VI. Rauvolfia. Blumea 30: 157-167.

Main genus page

• Rauvolfia (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Tran Dinh Ly & Pham Duy Mai