Leea rubra (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Leea rubra Blume ex Spreng.

Protologue: Syst. veg. 1: 670 (1824).

Family: Leeaceae

Synonyms

• Leea polyphylla Miq. (1859),
• Leea brunoniana Clarke (1881),
• Leea linearifolia Clarke (1881).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: ginggijan beureum (Sundanese), girang (Javanese)
• Malaysia: mali-mali puchok merah
• Thailand: katangbai (Bangkok), khueang (central)
• Vietnam: gối hạc tía, phí tử, cu chói.

Distribution

From India, Burma (Myanmar) throughout South-East Asia, to northern Australia.

Uses

In Peninsular Malaysia, the ground root mixed with arsenic is externally applied as a poultice against yaws, while the sap of the plant is drunk simultaneously. In Java, the leaves are externally applied for poulticing wounds, the fruits are eaten as a remedy against yaws and dysentery. In Indo-China, a decoction or tincture of the root is taken against stomach-ache, rheumatism and arthritis. In Thailand, the roots are used as an antipyretic and diaphoretic.

Observations

• A small semi-herbaceous shrub, up to 3 m tall.
• Leaves 2-4-pinnate, leaflets numerous, rachis (2.5-)5-25(-42) cm long, petiole 2-8(-15) cm long, stipules a narrow wing, 2-4 cm × 0.3-0.5 cm, leaflets ovate to ovate-oblong or elliptical to elliptical-lanceolate, (2-)4-8(-14) cm × (0.3-)1.5-4(-6) cm, base rounded to acute, apex acute to shortly acuminate, margin crenate to shallowly serrate, pearl-glands apparently absent.
• Cyme (4-)8-14(-16) cm long, generally compact, rusty pubescent, bracts deltoid-triangular, inconspicuous.
• Flowers bright red, calyx 2-2.5 mm × 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous, staminodial tube about 1-2 mm long, upper free part 1-1.3 mm long, lobes shallowly retuse or cleft, sinuses deep, ovary 4-6-celled.
• Berry 8-10 mm in diameter, dark red, 6-seeded.
• Seed 4 mm × 4 mm.

L. rubra is found in dry monsoon forest, savanna and secondary vegetation from sea-level up to 500 m altitude.

Selected sources

• [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.
• [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.
• [739] Nguyen Van Duong, 1993. Medicinal plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Mekong Printing, Santa Ana, California, United States. 528 pp.
• [949] Soepadmo, E., Wong, K.M. & Saw, L.G. (Editors), 1995—. Tree flora of Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah Forestry Department, Forest Research Institute Malaysia and Sarawak Forestry Department, Kepong, Malaysia.

Main genus page

• Leea

Authors

• Tahan Uji