Leuconotis eugenifolius (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Leuconotis eugenifolius A.DC.

Protologue: Apocynaceae

Synonyms

Leuconotis cuspidatus Blume.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: pulai akar (Sumatra, Palembang), karet murai burung (Bengkulu), akar lutung wahai (Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: cheret murai (Peninsular).

Distribution

Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan), Brunei.

Uses

The latex coagulates into a good quality rubber which was formerly traded from Borneo as "manuyan biyok". The fruit is edible. Medicinally the latex is used to treat yaws (applied on the skin) and with it is drunk salt as a cure for worms.

Observations

Climbing, evergreen shrub, containing milky latex. Leaves opposite; petiole about 1 cm long; blade elliptical, up to 10 cm × 3 cm, acuminate at apex. Inflorescence a cyme, several together on an axillary peduncle; flowers 4-merous, about 1 cm long, orange-yellow; corolla tubular, lobes short. Fruit a globose berry, 1-2 cm in diameter. L. eugenifolius is common in rain forest and peat forest at low altitudes. The latex contains a very poisonous alkaloid.

Selected sources

11, 20, 23, 24, 30.