Salacia grandiflora (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Salacia grandiflora Kurz

Family: Celastraceae

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: andor solpu (Sumatra)
• Malaysia: (akar) mempedal ayam, nasi séjuk.

Distribution

Southern India, Burma, peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan).

Uses

The sweetish pulp of the fruit is eaten fresh. A decoction from the roots is used after childbirth. The wood, which is not attacked by termites but is also not very durable, is reported to be used in building houses.

Observations

• Liana or scandent shrub.
• Leaves usually shiny on both surfaces.
• Fruit an orange-pink drupe with persistent calyx and corolla, 2.5-5 cm long, containing 2 or more seeds.

Grows wild in lowland forests up to 750 m altitude. Often classified in Hippocrateaceae.

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.

• Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlandsch Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd ed. 3 Volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch Indië. 1953 pp.

• van Steenis, C.G.G.J. et al. (Editors), 1950-. Flora Malesiana. Series 1. Vol. 1, 4-10. Centre for Research and Development in Biology, Bogor, Indonesia, and Rijksherbarium, Leiden, the Netherlands. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London.

Authors

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