Ochrosia elliptica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ochrosia elliptica Labill.

Protologue: Sert. Austro-Caledon.: 259, t. 30 (1824).

Family: Apocynaceae

Synonyms

• Ochrosia calocarpa (Hassk.) Miq. (1869).

Vernacular names

• Pokosola (En).

Distribution

O. elliptica occurs naturally in New Caledonia and surrounding islands, New Hebrides, and Australia (New South Wales, Queensland). Cultivated elsewhere e.g. Indonesia, Hawaii, the Caribbean and China.

Uses

O. elliptica has no traditional medicinal use in South-East Asia, but it is planted as ornamental. However, it is cultivated for its medicinal use in China. In the Loyalty Islands, east of New Caledonia, it is traditionally used for its diuretic and purgative properties. An infusion of the bark is used as a febrifuge. The latex is applied on bruises and cuts.

Observations

• A treelet or tree up to 4-6(-12) m tall.
• Leaves in whorls of 3-4 or rarely opposite, obovate to elliptical, 4.5-18 cm × 3-7 cm, base decurrent onto the petiole, apex usually obtuse or emarginate, rarely acute, petiole 0.5-2 cm long.
• Inflorescence terminal and axillary cyme, in whorls of 2-3, rarely solitary, a dense corymb, peduncle 0.5-3.0 cm long.
• Flowers fragrant, shortly pedicellate, sepals 2.6-2.8 mm long, membranous, corolla tube 10-14 mm long, corolla lobes narrowly elliptical, 10-11 mm × 3.5-4 mm, stamens included.
• Fruit consisting of 2 separate mericarps, mericarps ellipsoid, 3.5-4 cm × 2-2.3 cm, dorso-ventrally compressed, mesocarp not fibrous, endocarp with 2 lateral cavities, green and turning bright red when ripe.
• Seed suborbicular, narrowly winged.

O. elliptica is found along the seashore, on coral outcrops as well as sandy habitats.

Selected sources

• [117] Bisset, N.G., 1958. The occurrence of alkaloids in the Apocynaceae. Annales Bogorienses 3(1): 105—236.
• [318] Forster, P.I., 1993. A taxonomic revision of Neisosperma Raf. (Apocynaceae) in Australia, together with a key to Australian genera of Apocynaceae. Austrobaileya 4(1): 13—20.
• [459] Huxley, A., Griffiths, M. & Levy, M., 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 4 volumes. The MacMillan Press Ltd., London, United Kingdom. 3353 pp.
• [1090] Wu, Z.-Y. & Raven, P.H. (Editors), 1994—. Flora of China. Science Press, Bejing, China & Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, United States.

Main genus page

• Ochrosia

Authors

• J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg & R. Hendrian