Dendrocnide stimulans (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dendrocnide stimulans (L.f.) Chew

Protologue: Gard. Bull. Sing. 21: 206 (1965).

Synonyms

• Laportea stimulans (L.f.) Miq. (1854),
• Laportea stenophylla Quisumb. (1930).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: jalatong pulus (Sundanese), kemaduh sapi (Javanese), jelatang kayu (Sumatra)
• Malaysia: jelatang gajah, jelatang api, daun gatal (Peninsular)
• Thailand: tamyae chaang (central), saam kaeo (peninsular), haan duea (northern)
• Vietnam: mán nam, han tím.

Distribution

Southern China, Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Sulawesi, Borneo, the Philippines, Taiwan.

Uses

In Java, the sap is drunk as a bechic. In Sumatra a decoction of leaves and roots is drunk as an anthelmintic in case of a hard swollen stomach, constipation and yellow eyes. The sap is occasionally used as a hair wash. In Peninsular Malaysia, the leaves or roots are commonly used for poulticing.

Observations

• A dioecious tree up to 7 m tall, branches rather widespread, bark light grey, lenticellate, twigs without irritant hairs.
• Leaves elliptical to obovate, (12-)15-30(-40) cm × (4-)6-10(-14) cm, base cuneate, rounded or emarginate, apex acuminate, margin usually entire, irritant hairs present, petiole (2-)5-10(-15) cm long, irritant hairs present, stipules 0.8-2 cm long, pubescent when young.
• Raceme branched, usually solitary, 10-55 cm long, bracteolate, with 2-10-flowered fascicles.
• Male flowers sessile, 1-2 mm long, slightly pubescent, filaments reflexed, female flowers sessile, slightly sunken in a row of fleshy receptacles, stigma ligulate to 5 mm long.
• Achene asymmetrical, 2-4 mm × 2-4 mm, flattened, smooth to warty, perianth persistent, stigma persistent.

D. stimulans is found in primary and secondary forest on sandy and loamy soils, from sea-level up to 1200 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.
• [372] Grosvenor, P.W., Gothard, P.K., McWilliam, N.C., Supriono, A. & Gray, D.O., 1995. Medicinal plants from Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Part 1: Uses. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 45: 75—95.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [556] Koorders, S.H. & Valeton, T., 1894—1915. Bijdrage tot de kennis der boomsoorten van Java [Contribution to the knowledge of the tree species of Java]. 13 parts. G. Kolff & Co., Batavia, Dutch East Indies & 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands.

Main genus page

• Dendrocnide

Authors

• J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg