Psychotria montana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Psychotria montana Blume

Protologue: Bijdr. fl. Ned. Ind.: 961 (1826).

Family: Rubiaceae

Synonyms

• Psychotria expansa Blume (1826),
• Chasalia montana (Blume) Miq. (1857),
• Psychotria viridissima Kurz (1872).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: selada, kayu semelit (Peninsular)
• Vietnam: lấu, núi, mạy cán cân.

Distribution

From Burma (Myanmar) and Vietnam to Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra and Java (Indonesia).

Uses

In Peninsular Malaysia, the root is used for poulticing ulcers and swellings. It is made into a lotion which is used hot for bathing a feverish person and for treating enlarged spleen. In Indo-China, the boiled leaves are employed on swellings, rheumatism and an aching stomach, and to wash wounds. The decoction is taken for bacillary dysentery. It is sometimes planted in gardens in Java.

Observations

• An erect, glabrous shrub, 0.5-2.5 m tall.
• Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 11-15(-25) cm × 3-10 cm, base acute, apex acuminate, acute, petiole 1.5-3.5 cm long, stipules triangular, apex slightly 2–fid, base of stipules clasping the petiole as a conspicuous ring.
• Inflorescence paniculate, 2-6(-12) cm long, compact, normally glabrous, peduncle 0.5-4 cm long.
• Flowers greenish to whitish, pedicel 2-5 mm long, calyx truncate, subentire to 4-6-dentate, corolla tube 3 mm long, ring of hairs inside or glabrous, lobes 4-5, 3-4 mm long, stamens inserted in the middle of the tube.
• Berry subglobose to ellipsoid, 8-13 mm long, slightly ribbed when dry, red turning blackish.

P. montana occurs in forest, village groves, also on limestone, from 800-2000 m altitude.

Selected sources

• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [135] 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.
• [215] 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.
• [788] Pételot, A., 1952—1954. Les plantes médicinales du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam [The medicinal plants of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. 4 volumes. Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques et Techniques, Saigon, Vietnam.
• [1066] Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972—1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd Edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Main genus page

• Psychotria

Authors

• H.C. Ong & S. Brotonogoro