Ixora grandifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ixora grandifolia Zoll. & Moritzi

Protologue: Syst. Verz.: 65 (1846).

Synonyms

• Ixora crassifolia Ridley (1918),
• Ixora ridleyi Bremek. (1937),
• Ixora fluminalis Ridley.

Vernacular names

• Pink river ixora (En)
• Indonesia: sikatan (Javanese), ki soka (Sundanese)
• Malaysia: jarum hutan, kelat tandok, segading jantan (Peninsular)
• Thailand: khem yai (central, peninsular).

Distribution

Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Bangka, Java, Madura and Borneo.

Uses

In Malaysia a decoction of the root is used to treat ague and colic. The leaves are eaten before childbirth, at the commencement of labour and are considered to make delivery easier. An infusion of leaves is drunk against stomach-ache.

Observations

• A shrub or small to medium-sized tree up to 18 m tall, bark smooth to lenticellate, fissured or scaly, grey-brown.
• Leaves elliptical, ovate or obovate, 10-32 cm × 4-18 cm, thickly coriaceous, glabrous, base acute, rounded or cordate, apex acute or blunt, with 6-16 secondary veins, petiole 0.5-3.5 cm long, stipules broadly triangular, apiculate.
• Inflorescence subsessile, with 3 main branches, erect, spreading, up to 5 cm long, branches not jointed; flowers long-pedicellate, calyx tube 0.5-1 mm long, lobes triangular and less than 0.5 mm long, corolla tube 0.5-3 cm long, lobes 2.5-6 mm × 1.5-2 mm, white sometimes pink-tipped, fragrant, anthers grey.
• Fruit globose or strongly 2-lobed, up to 12 mm wide, red turning black.

I. grandifolia occurs in both lowland and hill forest, also on swampy ground.

Selected sources

97, 182, 202, 288, 768, 1126, 1227, 1591. medicinals

Authors

• M.C. Ysrael & J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg