Pouzolzia pentandra (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Pouzolzia pentandra (Roxb.) Benn.

Protologue: Pl. jav. rar.: 64 (1838).

Family: Urticaceae

Pouzolzia pentandra (Roxb.) Benn. - 1, flowering and fruiting twig; 2, male flower seen from below; 3, male flower seen from within; 4, ripe fruit enclosed in its 2-winged perianth; 5, achene [fruit perianth removed]

Synonyms

• Gonostegia pentandra (Roxb.) Miq.(1869),
• Memorialis pentandra (Roxb.) Wedd.(1869).

Vernacular names

• Thailand: khop cha naang, yaa non taai (northern)
• Vietnam: thuốc dòi ngũ hùng.

Distribution

From India to the Philippines and throughout South-East Asia.

Uses

In Thailand, a decoction of the whole plant is taken as an emmenagogue and diuretic. It may well be applied as an insecticide. The ground fresh leaves are used topically on abscesses and as an anti-inflammatory. In Taiwan, a decoction is taken as a blood purifier.

Observations

• A perennial, monoecious herb up to 60 cm tall, stems creeping, with erect branches.
• Lowermost leaves opposite, upper leaves alternate, strikingly smaller, ovate lanceolate, 2-10 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm, base rounded to subcordate, apex acute, entire, 3-veined up to the leaf apex, shortly ciliate or glabrous, sessile or subsessile, stipules ovate.
• Flowers in bisexual clusters, spicately arranged in the upper leaf axils, whitish tinged pink; male flowers shortly pedicellate, tepals (4-)5; female flowers subsessile to sessile, perianth tubular with 2 broad wings and 1 narrow wing, stigma caducous.
• Achene ovoid or ellipsoid, black, shining, enclosed by a broadly winged perianth.

P. pentandra is found in humid forest and along watersides from sea-level up to 600 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.
• [331] Gagnepain, F. (Editor), 1907—1950. Flore générale de l'Indo-Chine [General flora of Indo-China]. 7 volumes + suppl. Masson & Cie, Paris, France.
• [455] Huang, T.-C. (Editor), 1993—. Flora of Taiwan. 2nd Edition. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Main genus page

• Pouzolzia

Authors

• Mulyati Rahayu