Lepisanthes rubiginosa

Lepisanthes rubiginosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Lepisanthes
Species:
L. rubiginosa
Binomial name
Lepisanthes rubiginosa
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Erioglossum edule[3] Blume
    • Erioglossum rubiginosum Gagnep
    • Lepisanthes stilaginea Noronha ex Miq.
    • Lepisanthes stilaginea Noronha ex Cambess.
    • Lepisanthes edulis Steud.
    • Lepisanthes rubiginosus Roxb.
    • Lepisanthes pinnatus Roxb. ex Hiern
    • Lepisanthes longifolius Buch.-Ham. ex Wight & Arn.
    • Lepisanthes fraxinifolius DC.
    • Lepisanthes edulis Bl.
    • Lepisanthes alternifolius Buch.-Ham. ex Wight & Arn.
    • Lepisanthes cupanioides Cambess.
    • Lepisanthes hirta Ridl.
    • Lepisanthes balansaeana Gagnep.
    • Lepisanthes rubiginosum Radlk.
    • Lepisanthes rubiginosum villosum Gagnep.
    • Lepisanthes rubiginosum (Roxb.) Bl.
    • Lepisanthes edule Bl.

Lepisanthes rubiginosa, also known as mertajam,[3][4] is a plant species in the lychee family found in northern India, Indochina, Malesia and northwest Australia.[2][5]: 649 

Botany

It is a shrub, or small tree, that can grow up to 16 meters tall and has compound leaves with two to nine pairs of leaflets.[5]: 649 [6] Its flowers are yellow-white with a sweet scent and its fruit ripens to a dark purple/black.[6] Its name rubiginosa is Latin for rust-coloured referning to the hairs on the twigs and leaflets.[6]

Use

The leaves can be used as a poultice to treat itches or made into a decoction that can be drank to cure fever.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Ye, J.F.; , Yu, S.-X.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Lepisanthes rubiginosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T147652185A147652187. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T147652185A147652187.en. Retrieved 23 April 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 "Lepisanthes rubiginosa (Roxb.) Leenh". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 Wilkinson, Richard James (1932). "mĕrtajam". A Malay-English dictionary (romanised). Vol. II. Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis. p. 137 – via TROVE, National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ Toh Suat Loo, ed. (2004). The Cyber Plant Conservation Project: Promoting Plant Biodiversity Conservation through ICT. Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia: Food and Agriculture Organization and International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. p. 43. ISBN 92-9043-626-3.
  5. 1 2 Adema, F.; Leenhouts, P.W.; van Welzen, P.C. (1994). "Sapindaceae". Flora Malesiana. 11 (3): 419–768 – via Naturalis Institutional Repository.
  6. 1 2 3 "Lepisanthes rubiginosa (Roxb.) Leenh". Flora & Fauna Web. National Parks Board. 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Burkill, I. H.; Mohamed Haniff (April 1930). "Malay Village Medicine" (PDF). The Gardens' Bulletin. VI (6–10): 165–321 – via National University of Singapore.