Limnophila aromatica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Limnophila aromatica (Lamk) Merr.

Protologue: Interpr. Herb. amboin.: 466 (1917).

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Synonyms

• Gratiola aromatica (Lamk) Pers. (1805),
• Limnophila punctata Blume (1826),
• Limnophila gratissima Blume (1826).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: kehkehan (Sundanese), daun kardemom, selaseh ayer kecil (Ambonese)
• Malaysia: beremi, kerak-kerak
• Philippines: angangi (Bontok)
• Papua New Guinea: poikehkeh (Wapi), ginibok (Keepaukee)
• Thailand: phak khayaeng (central), phak phaa (northern)
• Vietnam: rau ng[oom].

Distribution

From India and Sri Lanka to Indo-China, southern China, Japan, Taiwan, throughout South-East Asia and northern Australia.

Uses

In Indonesia and Peninsular Malaysia, the sap of the leaves is used to clean wounds, and a decoction of the leaves is given in fevers.

Observations

• A variable, fleshy, annual to perennial herb, 30-100 cm tall, stems simple or shortly branched from the base, glabrous to minutely glandular.
• Leaves decussate or in whorls of 3, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 10-55 mm × 3-15 mm, margins crenate to serrate-dentate, glabrous to densely and minutely glandular, pinnately veined, sessile.
• Flowers solitary and axillary, or a few to many-flowered, terminal or axillary raceme, up to 15 cm long, pedicel 5-20 mm long, bracteoles 2, 1.5-2 mm long, calyx 4.5-7 mm long, hairy, striate at maturity, corolla 10.5-13.5 mm long, pale pink, outside finely glandular, inside densely villous, posterior lobe emarginate, posterior stamens 2.5 mm long, villous, anterior stamens 4 mm long, glabrous
• Capsule broadly ellipsoid, compressed, 5-6 mm long, brown.

L. aromatica grows in shallow ponds or marshy localities, from sea-level up to 1000 m altitude. It is closely related to L. chinensis (Osbeck) Merr., and some authors consider L. aromatica as a subspecies of it.

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.
• [747] Ochse, J.J. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1980. Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies. 3rd English edition (translation of "Indische groenten"", 1931). Asher & Co., Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 1016 pp.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
• [837] Reddy, G.B.S., Melkhani, A.B., Kalyani, G.A., Rao, J.V., Shirwaikar, A., Aithal, K.S., Udupa, A.L., Srinivasan, K.K., Kotian, M., Ramani, R. & Bhat, G., 1991. Chemical and pharmacological investigations of Limnophila conferta and Limnophila heterophylla. International Journal of Pharmacognosy 29(2): 145—153.

Main genus page

• Limnophila

Authors

• G.H. Schmelzer