Leucosyke capitellata (Poir.)Wedd.
Family
Urticaceae
Synonyms
None
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia |
Teh kampung (Sarawak), kuliat-mato (Sabah). |
| Indonesia | Ki beunteur (Sundanese), jurang gunung (Javanese), kayu te pa’ei (Kalimantan). |
| Philippines | Alagasi, lagasi (Bisaya, Tagalog), hanlagasi (Tagalog). |
Geographical Distributions
Leucosyke capitellata occurs in Java, Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and New Guinea.
Description
Leucosyke capitellata is a dioecious shrub or small tree that can reach up to 8 m tall. The leaves are arranged spirally with the upper ones is often distichous, simple, elliptical-oblong, 8-17.5 cm x 3-6.5 cm, acute to obtuse at base, acuminate at apex, finely serrate, white tomentose below, 3-veined from the base and with 1-4 pairs of secondary veins. The petiole is 1-3 cm long. The stipules connate into an axillary scale, which is up to 2.5 cm long and caducous.
The inflorescence is a pseudo-axillary, peduncled, spherical head is 0.5-1 cm in diametre with 2 heads often close together. The flowers are unisexual, regular and small. The male flowers are with 5-parted perianth, 5 stamens and rudimentary pistil while the female flowers are with cup-shaped, 4-5-dentate perianth and obliquely ovoid, superior, 1-celled ovary, sessile stigma and capitate.
The fruit is 1-seeded with fleshy pericarp and thinly crustaceous while the endocarp is white.
Ecology / Cultivation
Leucosyke capitellata occurs in forest, often-secondary forest, but also in thickets, up to 2400 m altitude, and is common in many regions.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
