Tetracera korthalsii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Tetracera korthalsii Miq.

Family: Dilleniaceae

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: empelas (Malay, Sabah), pampad (Dusun, Sabah).

Distribution

Borneo (eastern), Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Palawan (the Philippines).

Uses

The rough leaves are used for polishing wood. In the Philippines the stems serve as binding material and for handles, frames and other handicraft products.

Observations

A large liana with scabrid branches. Leaves simple, spirally arranged; stipules absent; petiole winged, up to 20(-30) cm long; blade ovate, elliptical-oblong or obovate, up to 22 cm × 13 cm, base rounded, margin slightly dentate, apex rounded to acute, usually with 10-16 pairs of veins, smooth to scabrid on both sides. Inflorescence a terminal, many-flowered panicle; flowers bisexual, about 1 cm in diameter; sepals 5(-6); petals 3-5, 5 mm × 3.5 mm; stamens about 125, up to 4 mm long. Fruit a coriaceous capsule with 1-3, 1-seeded carpels. Seed ovoid, 4.5 mm × 3.5 mm, glossy black. T. korthalsii occurs in forest up to 700 m altitude. The leaves and stems of several other Tetracera species are used in Malesia as sandpaper and for tying, respectively. Examples are T. indica (Houtt. ex Christm. & Panz.) Merr., T. sarmentosa (L.) Vahl (synonym: T. asiatica (Lour.) Hoogl.) and T. scandens (L.) Merr., all three primarily used as medicinal plants.

Selected sources

47, 76, 77, 78, 95, 191.

Authors

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch