Ardisia elliptica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ardisia elliptica Thunberg

Family: Myrsinaceae

Synonyms

• Ardisia littoralis Andr.

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: rempenai, penar, mata pelandok
• Philippines: katagpo (Tagalog), kolen (Ilocano), bahagion (Bisaya)
• Thailand: ram-yai (southern), langphisa (eastern), thulangkasa.

Distribution

From southern India to southern China, South-East Asia, tropical Australia and the Pacific, wild and occasionally cultivated.

Uses

Young shoots are eaten raw or cooked. Leaves are used medicinally.

Observations

• Shrub or small tree, up to 10 m tall.
• Leaves obovate-oblong to oblong, 5-12.5 cm × 2.5-5 cm, entire, glandular dotted below, with prominent parallel lateral veins, coriaceous, pink when young.

In lowland vegetation, often along coasts and tidal estuaries.

Selected sources

20, 42, 82.