Biophytum adiantoides Wight ex Edgew. & Hook.f.

Biophytum adiantoides Wight ex Edgew. & Hook.f.

Family

Oxalidaceae

Synonyms

None

Vernacular Names

Malaysia Daun payong, mayong, payong ali.
Thailand Krathuep yop (Northern).
Vietnam sinh di[eej]p r[as]ng.

Geographical Distributions

Burma (Myanmar), southern Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Description

Biophytum adiantoides is a perennial shrublet, measuring up to 30 cm tall, woody stem and branched.

The leaves are 18-27-jugate, measures 7-17 cm long rachis and yellowish. The leaflets terminal is oblong to lance-shaped and with a size of measures 9-22 mm x 3-8mm. The widest is at or above the middle. The other leaflets are elliptical to oblong, asymmetrical base, excentric midrib at the base and hairy. The peduncle is measuring 5-20 cm long, up to 9-flowered and hairy. The pedicel is measuring 5-17 mm long, lance-shaped sepals, measures 4.5-6 mm long and acute while in fruit is 5-12-veined, 1.2-2 times as long as the fruit, sometimes with a few glandular hairs, with lance-shaped petals, measuring 9-10 mm x 1-2.5 mm, rounded to truncate apex, white with yellow base, tristylous and 2.5 mm long styles.

The smooth capsule is 3-4 mm x 2-3 mm.

The seeds are 2-3 per cell, 1 mm in diametre, with transverse, tuberculate ridges and hairy.

Ecology / Cultivation

B. adiantoides occurs in crevices of limestone rocks along rivers and in open woodland, up to 300 m altitude.

Line Drawing / Photograph

1e

References

    1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 12 (2): Medicinal and poisonous plants.