Lepisanthes fruticosa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh.

Family: Sapindaceae

Synonyms

• Otophora cambodiana Pierre,
• Otophora fruticosa Blume,
• Otophora resecta Radlk..

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: mojowontu
• Malaysia: setengok
• Philippines: linaunau (Tagalog), buli-buli (Bisaya), ara (Ibanag)
• Cambodia kândâk
• Laos: hwàd khaaz
• Thailand: chammaliang, phumriang (central), mathao (north).

Distribution

Malesia (not in New Guinea), Burma, Thailand, Indo-China. It is occasionally cultivated.

Uses

The seeds are eaten roasted. The root is used in a compound poultice to relieve itching.

Observations

• Shrub or tree, up to 10 m tall, exceptionally a liana.
• Leaves usually paripinnate, 1-14-jugate.
• Fruit a subglobose to ellipsoid berry, up to 4 cm in diameter, dark red to black.
• Seed subglobose to semi-ellipsoid, flattened on one side, up to ca. 2 cm diameter.

In thickets at low elevations.

Selected sources

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2nd ed. 2 Volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.

• Leenhouts, P.W., 1969. A revision of Lepisanthes (Sapindaceae). Blumea 17: 33-91.

• Merrill, E.D., 1923 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 4 Volumes. Government of the Philippine Islands, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bureau of Printing, Manila.

Authors

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