Parameria laevigata (A.L. Juss.)
Family
Apocynaceae
Synonyms
Parameria barbata (Blume) K. Schum., Parameria glandulifera (Wallich ex G. Don) Benth. ex Kurz .
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Akar serapat puteh, akar gerip puteh, akar serau; kayu rapat (the bark only). |
| Indonesia | Gembor, ragen (Javanese), akar gerip putih (Malay); pegat sih (Javanese, the bark only), kayu rapet (Sundanese, the bark only). |
| Philippines | Tagulauai, prugtong-ahas (Tagalog). |
| Cambodia | Var ang kot. |
| Thailand | Khruea khao muak (Northern), khruea suut, som lorn (Central, Eastern). |
| Vietnam | D[oox] tr[oj]ng nam. |
Geographical Distributions
P. laevigata is found in India (Andaman Islands) and southern China, throughout Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Borneo and the Philippines.
Description
It is a perennial climber up to 10 m long. The branches are often with lenticels, hairless to densely covered with down or fine hairs.
Leaves are opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), simple, elliptical to reverse egg-shaped, 1.5-15 cm x 0.7-6.3 cm. The leaf base is obtuse to wedge-shaped while the apex is acute to caudate. The blade is papery. The stalk is 1-5 mm long, with glands in its axils.
The fragrant flowers are 5-merous and radially symmetrical, with egg-shaped sepals. The hairy to hairless flowers are 0.5-1.3 mm x 0.4-0.9 mm. Its white petals are lobes in bud and overlapping to the left. The stamens are completely included. Its disk consists of 5 separate lobes. The ovary is superior, consisting of 2 separate carpels united into a common style. Its ovules are numerous.
The hairless fruit is a paired follicle, distantly tortulose, 12-32 cm x 0.4-0.7 cm.
The seed is elliptical with a size ranging from between 5.7-12 mm x 1.1-4 mm, brown and hirsute.
Ecology / Cultivation
P. laevigata is found in primary and secondary forests and thickets from sea-level up to 1500 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
