Picrasma javanica Blume
Family
Simaroubaceae
Synonyms
Picrasma nepalensis A. W. Bennett, Picrasma philippinensis Elmer.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Balimbing (Sabah), kayu pahit (Sarawak). |
| Indonesia | Ki pahit (Sundanese), tuba ulet (Palembang, Sumatra), pati laler (Javanese). |
| Thailand | Kom khom (Northern), dam, yee nam bai lek (Peninsular). |
| Vietnam | Kh[oor] di[eej]p. |
Geographical Distributions
P. javanica occurs from north-eastern India throughout Southeast Asia to the Solomon Islands.
Description
P. javanica is a monoecious or dioecious tree that can reach up to 25 m tall. Bole is fluted, up to 35 cm in diametre. Leaves are arranged spirally and imparipinnate. The petiole is 2-6 cm long while stipules are early caducous and foliaceous.
The leaflets are opposite or subopposite with a size of 4-20 cm x 1-10 cm, wedge-shaped base, blunt-acuminate apex and entire.
Inflorescence is axillary, compound-cymose, unisexual that up to 20 cm long, bracteolate and long-peduncled. Flowers are unisexual with 4-merous, white to yellow or green. The female ones are usually twice as large as the male. Sepals are triangular to ovate, about 1 mm. The petals are ovate-oblong or oblong. The size of male flowers is 2-5 mm x 1-2 mm while in female flowers is 3-7 mm x 3-5 mm. The size is increasing with the age. The stamens are up to 5 mm long in male flowers, 4-lobed disk and hairy. The ovaries are superior and up to 4 and free with styles are up to 4 and united.
Fruit is consisting of 1-4, hardly fleshy drupelets. Drupe is ovoid to depressed-spherical with a size of 9-10 mm x 7-12 mm, green to red or blue, thin exocarp, fleshy, wrinkled when dry and hard endocarp.
Ecology / Cultivation
P. javanica occurs scattered in rain forest from sea-level up to 1500 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
