Hornstedtia tomentosa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Hornstedtia tomentosa (Blume) Bakh.f.

Family: Zingiberaceae

Synonyms

• Hornstedtia villosa (Teysm. & Binnend.) Valeton.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: pining totot (Sundanese).

Distribution

Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Malaysia (Sarawak).

Uses

Seed clusters are eaten raw or candied.

Observations

• Robust perennial rhizomatous herb, up to 6.5 m tall.
• Leaves lanceolate, 70 cm × 15 cm.
• Fruit berry-like, obovoid-trigonous, 2 cm diameter, crowned by 3-ribbed calyx, pale orange.

In lowland rain forests.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963 1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.

• Smith, R.M., 1985-1986. A review of Bornean Zingiberaceae 1 & 2. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 42: 261-314, 43: 439-466.

• Valeton, Th., 1921. Hornstedtia Retz. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique, Buitenzorg, Série 3, Vol. 3: 150-179.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen