Tabernaemontana pauciflora Blume
Family
Apocynaceae
Synonyms
Ervatamia malaccensis King & Gamble, Tabernaemontana malaccensis Hook.f., Tabernaemontana polysperma Merr., Tabernaemontana dinhensis Pitard, Tabernaemontana harmandiana Pierre ex Pitard, Tabernaemontana sralensis Pierre ex Pitard.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Lelada, susun kelapa, pokok restong. |
| Thailand | Prik paa, mok (South-eastern). |
| Vietnam | L[at]i tr[aa]u [is]t hoa. |
Geographical Distributions
Tabernaemontana pauciflora is found in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indo-China, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, West and Central Java and Borneo.
Description
Tabernaemontana pauciflora is a shrub or small tree, 0.5-2(-6) m tall while the stem is 2-10 cm in diametre. The leaves are elliptical to narrowly elliptical, 3-26 cm x 0.6-10 cm and 1.9-4.2 times longer than wide. The apex is acuminate or caudate while the leaf stalk is 2-7 mm long.
The inflorescence is lax, 3-10 cm x 2-5 cm, with 3-15(-20)-flowered. The flowers are sweet-scented, open during the day, pale green sepals, more or less leafy while the petal in mature bud is 14-38 mm long with a comparatively wide ovoid head for 20-30% of the length, acuminate apex or obtuse, tube is 4-8(-20) times longer than the sepal, with a size of 12.5-23(-32) mm long and twisted for 0.25-0.5 turn or not just below the anthers.
The fruit consists of 2 separate mericarps, obliquely ellipsoid or narrowly so, with 1-2 lateral and 1 adaxial ridges as line of dehiscence. It is orange or yellow, several-seeded and red aril.
Ecology / Cultivation
Tabernaemontana pauciflora is found in the forest understoreys, often on stream banks from sea-level to 600 m altitude. In Malaysia and Indonesia, it flowers and fruits throughout the year with a peak of flowering in March-May and of fruiting in September-November.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
