Solanum erianthum (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Solanum erianthum D. Don
- Protologue: Prodr. fl. nepal. 96 (1825).
Synonyms
- Solanum mauritianum Blanco (1837) non Scop.,
- Solanum verbascifolium auct. non L.
Vernacular names
- Potato tree, tobacco tree, tropillo (En)
- Indonesia: daun salawar, tembako utan (Malay, Moluccas), teter (Javanese, Sundanese)
- Malaysia: daun telinga kerbau, terong belah, terong raya (Peninsular)
- Papua New Guinea: kumboomba (Lesu, New Ireland), epiap (Gunantuna, New Britain)
- Philippines: malatalong (Tagalog), liuangkag (Bukidnon), ungali (Bisaya)
- Laos: sang mong peng, sang mou
- Thailand: dap yaang (central), faa paeng (northern), khaa taai (peninsular)
- Vietnam: cà hôi, cây la, la rừng.
Distribution
Originally from the West Indies, Central America and Mexico, but now an almost pantropical weed, although hardly penetrating South America. Probably introduced into the Philippines by the Spanish in the 16th Century, from where it has spread throughout the Malesian archipelago and to mainland Asia and Australia.
Uses
The leaves act as an abortifacient and are considered a potent medicine for expelling all impurities through the urine, and in particular to treat leucorrhoea. Pounded leaves are poulticed to treat piles, haemorrhoids and scrofula. Heated leaves are applied as a cream to the forehead against headache. A decoction of the leaves is drunk against vertigo; an infusion of the plant is used for a bath after childbirth. A decoction from the roots is applied to treat violent pains all over the body or to relieve digestive troubles; it is also given to treat dysentery, diarrhoea and fever. In Papua New Guinea, the plant is used internally to treat stomach-ache and is applied externally to skin irritations and rashes. In the Solomon Islands, leaf juice is used as a rinse for sores in the mouth. S. erianthum is considered poisonous to livestock. The root bark is poisonous and can be used as an antiphlogistic and against arthritis. The fruits can be eaten when cooked.
In the Philippines, the velvety leaves are used to remove grease from dishes. S. erianthum is considered suitable as a shade plant for coffee.
Observations
- An unarmed shrub or small tree up to 4(-10) m tall with a dense indumentum of soft stellate hairs, stem up to 20 cm in diameter.
- Leaves simple, ovate-elliptical, (7-)10-20(-29) cm × 3.5-15 cm, margin entire or slightly wavy, base rounded to cuneate, apex acute to acuminate.
- Inflorescence appearing terminal, a compound cyme.
- Calyx campanulate, 5 mm long, lobes ovate, corolla stellate, about 1.5 cm in diameter, white, anthers oblong, about 2 mm long, opening with apical pores, ovary densely pubescent, style 4-6 mm long, glabrous.
- Fruit globose, 8-12 mm in diameter, pubescent, dull yellow when ripe; seeds many, compressed, 1-2 mm in diameter.
S. erianthum is fairly common, occurring scattered in sunny or slightly shaded places, in brushwood, roadsides, field edges, on waste ground and in forest edges, up to 1500 m altitude.
Selected sources
- [13] Adam, G., Huong, H.T. & Khoi, N.H., 1979. The constituents of the Vietnamese drug plant Solanum verbascifolium L. Planta Medica 36: 238-239.
- [78] Atal, C.K. & Kapur, B.M. (Editors), 1982. Cultivation and utilization of medicinal plants. Regional Research Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Jammu-Tawi, India. 877 pp.
- [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.
- [127] Barnabas, C.G.G. & Nagarajan, S., 1988. Antimicrobial activity of flavonoids of some medicinal plants. Fitoterapia 59(6): 508-510.
- [164] Blomqvist, M.M., 1997. Taxonomy and uses of medicinally important species in the genera Datura L. and Solanum L. (Solanaceae) in South-East Asia. Unpublished MSc thesis, Department of Plant Taxonomy, Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands. 132 pp.
- [202] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.
- [287] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948-1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
- [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.
- [665] Jain, S.C. & Sahoo, S., 1981. Isolation and characterization of steroidal sapogenins and glyco alkaloids from tissue cultures of Solanum verbascifolium. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 29(6): 1765-1767.
- [666] Jain, S.C., Sahoo, S.L. & Vijyvergia, R., 1995. Influence of light on growth and production of steroids and glycoalkaloids in Solanum species in vivo and in vitro. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 57(3): 100-101.
- [873] Liu, Y.-C. & Ou, C.-H., 1978. Solanaceae. In: Li, H.-L., Liu, T.-C., Huang, T.-C., Koyama, T. & DeVol, C.E. (Editors): Flora of Taiwan. Vol. 4. Epoch Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 530-550.
- [889] Makinde, J.M., Obih, P.O. & Jimoh, A.A., 1987. Effect of Solanum erianthum aqueous leaf extract on Plasmodium berghei berghei in mice. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 16(4): 193-196.
- [1035] Nguyen Van Duong, 1993. Medicinal plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Mekong Printing, Santa Ana, California, United States. 528 pp.
- [1126] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
- [1178] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
- [1250] Roe, K.E., 1972. A revision of Solanum section Brevantherum (Solanaceae). Brittonia 24: 239-278.
- [1251] Roe, K.E., 1979. Dispersal and speciation in Solanum, section Brevantherum. In: Hawkes, J.G., Lester, R.N. & Skelding, A.D. (Editors): The biology and taxonomy of the Solanaceae. Linnean Society Symposium Series 7. Academic Press, London, United Kingdom. p. 563-567.
- [1380] Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand. 379 pp.
- [1433] Symon, D.E., 1985. The Solanaceae of New Guinea. Journal of Adelaide Botanic Gardens 8: 1-171.
- [1525] Vidal, J., 1962. Noms vernaculaires de plantes en usage au Laos [Vernacular names of plants used in Laos]. Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, France. 197 pp.
- [1652] Zhang, Z.-Y., & Lu, A.-M. & D'Arcy, W., 1994. Solanaceae. In: Wu, Z.-Y. & Raven, P.H. (Editors): Flora of China 17. Science Press, Beijing, China & Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, United States. pp. 300-332.
Main genus page
- Solanum (Medicinal plants)
Authors
- M.M. Blomqvist & Nguyen Tien Ban