Microtoena insuavis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Microtoena insuavis (Hance) Prain ex Briq.

Family: Labiatae

• Gomphostemma insuave Hance,
• Microtoena cymosa Prain,
• Plectranthus patchouli C.B. Clarke ex Hook.f.

Note: Microtoena is sometimes also wrongly spelled " Microtaena ".

• Chinese patchouli, khasia patchouli (En)
• Thailand: kham pong (northern).

From India throughout continental South-East Asia to southern China, Sumatra, Java and Bali.

An essential oil is distilled from the leaves. It is used like patchouli oil (see Pogostemon Desf.) and in China and Vietnam as a perfume to scent soaps and fabrics. Sometimes it is used to adulterate true patchouli oil.

• Erect, branching, perennial, densely villose herb, up to 1 m tall.
• Leaves opposite, chartaceous, fragrant; petiole slender, up to 7 cm long; blade ovate, up to 10 cm × 7.5 cm, base cuneate, margin crenate-serrate, apex acute.
• Inflorescence a paniculate thyrse, 10-35 cm long; bracts lanceolate, 2-5 mm long.
• Calyx turbinate, 3-4 mm long, accrescent in fruit to 6-7 mm, subequally 5-toothed; corolla tubular, 2-lipped, 12-16 mm long, yellow or reddish, upper lip hooded, lower lip shallowly 3-lobed; stamens 4 in 2 pairs; style bifid with very short upper branch.
• Fruit composed of 4 nutlets; nutlet flattened ovoid, 1.5 mm × 1 mm, finely granular.

M. insuavis occurs in damp forest, often along river banks, usually between 1000-1700 m altitude, sometimes lower. Flowering is May-October in Malesia, October-December in China.

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol.1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol.2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• Burkill, I.H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2 volumes. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, United Kingdom. 2402 pp. (slightly revised reprint, 1966. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.).
• Groom, N., 1997. The new perfume handbook. 2nd edition. Blackie Academic & Professional, London, United Kingdom. 435 pp.
• van Steenis, C.G.G.J. et al. (Editors), 1950- . Flora Malesiana. Series 1. Vol. 1, 4- . Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands.

P.C.M. Jansen