Urceola torulosa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Urceola torulosa Hook.f.

Protologue: Apocynaceae

Urceola malaccensis Hook.f.

• Malaysia: akar gerit-gerit, akar serapat (Peninsular).

Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan), Brunei.

The latex produces a good quality rubber.

Liana with puberulent branchlets. Leaves opposite; petiole up to 2.5 cm long; blade ovate to elliptical, up to 18 cm × 7 cm, 2-5 times as long as wide, base rounded to cuneate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence consisting of axillary and terminal congested cymes, 2-6 cm long; flowers 5-merous; corolla tubular, tube up to 2 mm long, lobes less than 1 mm long. Fruit a pair of torulose follicles, follicle 5-45 cm × 3-7 mm. Seed flattened ellipsoidal, up to 11 mm × 5 mm, coma up to 3 cm long. U. torulosa occurs in evergreen primary or secondary forest up to 500 m altitude. The torulose fruits are characteristic.

11, 27, 33, 42.