Amomum uliginosum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Amomum uliginosum J.G. König ex Retz.

Protologue: Observ. bot. 3: 56 (1783).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: puar hijau, puar gajah, tepus merah (Peninsular)
• Thailand: krawaan paa (Pattani).

Distribution

Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

Seeds are used medicinally in Thailand, whereas rhizomes are possibly used as a stomachic. Fruits are edible, and leaves are sometimes used for making temporary shelters.

Observations

• A large herb up to 300 cm tall, with subterranean, long and much branched rhizome, leafy shoots widely apart.
• Leaves narrowly lanceolate, up to 50 cm × 7 cm, with caudate apex.
• Inflorescence small and globose, up to 5 cm long, on peduncle up to 10 cm long, bracts 2.5-3 cm long, bracteoles about 2 cm long, tubular at the base.
• Flowers with corolla tube as long as or slightly longer than calyx, labellum ovate and strongly concave, white, sometimes with 2 dark red spots at base and with a dark crimson stripe on each side, anther with a 3-lobed appendage having spreading side lobes.
• Fruit up to 2 cm long, covered by slender and soft red spines.

A. uliginosum is locally abundant in lowland forest and on river banks, up to 1000 m altitude.

Selected sources

• 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.
• Holttum, R.E., 1950. The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 13(1): 1-249.
• Ridley, H.N., 1922-1925. The flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 volumes. Government of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. L. Reeve & Co, London, United Kingdom.

Main genus page

• Amomum (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Nguyen Quoc Binh