Champereia manillana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Champereia manillana (Blume) Merrill

Family: Opiliaceae

Synonyms

• Champereia griffithii Planchon ex Kurz.

Vernacular names

• False olive (En)
• Indonesia: sayor garing (the Moluccas), cemperai
• Malaysia: chemperai, belkan
• Philippines: garimo, liyong-liyong (Tagalog), panalayapen (Ilocano)
• Thailand: phakwan, phak puem, sen.

Distribution

Throughout South-East Asia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Taiwan.

Uses

Young leaves and fruits are commonly sold on local markets and eaten as a vegetable. Leaves and roots are also used medicinally to cure ulcers, rheumatism, headache and stomachache.

Observations

• Gynodioecious shrub to small tree, 4-10 m tall.
• Leaves very variable in form and size, ovate, oblong or lanceolate, 4.5-25 cm × 1.5-11 cm.
• Inflorescence a panicle with greenish flowers.
• Fruit a drupe, ellipsoid, orange-red, 0.8-1.5 cm × 0.7-0.9 cm.

In primary and secondary open evergreen forest and in dry monsoon forest, usually not above 900 m altitude. In Burma, Thailand and Indo-China the leaves can be confused with the poisonous leaves of Urobotrya siamensis Hiepko.

Selected sources

7, 84, 91.