Psychotria rostrata Blume
Family
Rubiaceae
Synonyms
Chasalia rostrata Miq.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Nyarum, sedoman, segerang (Peninsular). |
Geographical Distributions
This plant is found in the Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Description
This 1-3 m tall plant is a slender and erect shrub. The leaf-bearing nodes are alternating with leaflets nodes with the distance between them at 1-1.5 cm long.
Leaves are elliptical to narrowly lance-shaped, 10-22 cm x 1.5-9 cm. The base is acute and the apex is long, tapering, acute, smooth and conspicuously veined. The stalk is 0.5-1.7 cm long. The leaflets nodes are tubiform, large and long-persistent. The panicle is 1.5-6 cm long, slender and hairless. The peduncle is 0.5-3 cm long. The styles on the flowers are of the same length and shape. They are white with short pedicel. Its sepal is bell-shaped and 1-2 mm long while the petal tube is 2 mm long with 4 1 mm long lobes. The stamens are inserted at ring, slightly exserted while its style is enclosed.
Berry is ellipsoid, spherical or obovoid. It is broad or narrowed at the base, which is about 7-12 mm long, weakly 4-5-ribbed, orange and pale when dry.
Ecology / Cultivation
P. rostrata is a variable species and is common in lowland forest, from 50-1000 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
