Phyllanthus oxyphyllus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Phyllanthus oxyphyllus Miq.

Protologue: Fl. Ind. Bat., Suppl.: 179, 448 (1860).

Synonyms

• Phyllanthus frondosus Wallich ex Muell. Arg. (1863),
• Phyllanthus hasskarlianus Muell. Arg. (1863),
• Phyllanthus kunstleri Hook.f. (1887).

Vernacular names

• Piggyback tree (En)
• Malaysia: asin-asin, cherek hantu, meroyan puteri (Peninsular)
• Thailand: yaai chuung laan, yaai theep laan, yom hin (peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.

Uses

In Peninsular Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves may be applied to cure fever, and is given after childbirth as a protective medicine. It is also a diuretic and diaphoretic in treating gonorrhoea.

Observations

• An evergreen, glabrous shrub or small tree up to 3 m tall with phyllanthoid branching, bole crooked; deciduous branchlets 15-42 cm long.
• Leaves subsessile, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 2-7 cm × 1-2 cm, cuneate to slightly cordate at base, apex long tapering, stipules minute, narrowly triangular; cymules borne directly in the leaf axils.
• Male flowers in contracted cymules, calyx lobes 5-6, stamens 3, filaments almost connate, anthers apiculate; female flowers subsessile, solitary or accompanied by male ones, calyx lobes 5-6, styles free or connate below, bifid.
• Fruit a subglobose capsule, 3-lobed, about 7 mm in diameter, red.

P. oxyphyllus is found in evergreen, primary or secondary rain forest, in lowland and mountains up to 1200 m altitude, sometimes on rocky places, rarely on limestone.

Selected sources

• [32] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1972. The Euphorbiaceae of Siam. Kew Bulletin 26: 191-363.
• [34] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1981. The Euphorbiaceae of Sumatra. Kew Bulletin 36: 239-374.
• [202] 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.
• [284] Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.
• [1126] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• [1227] Ridley, H.N., 1922-1925. The flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 volumes. Government of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. L. Reeve & Co, London, United Kingdom.
• [1564] Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972-1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd Edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Main genus page

• Phyllanthus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• F.L. van Holthoon