Wikstroemia indica

(L.) C. A. Mey.

Tiebush

Thymelaeaceae Potential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Caution, Toxic, Medicine

CAUTION: Many Wikstroema are poisonous. The fruit are poisonous.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in forests and on rocky slopes below 1,500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In XTBG Yunnan. In Sichuan.

Asia, Australia, China, Fiji, India, Indochina, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritius, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A shrub or small tree. It grows 1.5 m high and spreads 0.9 m wide. The leaves are oval and 6 cm long. The flowers are white, cream or greenish and in heads at the ends of the branches. The fruit are red to dark purple and 7-8 mm across. POISONOUS.

How to Grow

Wikstroemia species generally grow best in a moist, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade.

Medicinal Uses

Has anticancer properties.

Other Uses

The leaves can be used as an insecticide in agriculture. The smooth trunk has a tough bark that can be torn off in strips and used as string. The fibre from the inner bark is light colored and has a somewhat silky appearance. It can be used for making rope etc and to make a high quality paper. It has at times been harvested in quantity for making bank notes and other strong papers. Thw wood is of a deep red colour, and coarse-grained, though rather small.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Wikstroemia indica, also known as tie bush, Indian stringbush, bootlace bush, or small-leaf salago (Chinese: 了哥王; pinyin: liǎo gē wáng; Vietnamese: dó liệt) is a small shrub with glossy leaves, small greenish-yellow flowers and toxic red fruits. It grows in forests and on rocky, shrubby slopes in central and southeastern China, Vietnam, India, Australia and the Philippines.

Notes

There are about 70 Wikstroema species. It has anticancer properties.

Names & Synonyms

Daphne indica L.Wikstroemia shuttleworthiana Meisn.Wikstroemia shuttleworthii Meisn.Wikstroema viridiflora Meissn.

References (10)

Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 1027
Bull. Cl. Phys.-Math. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Petersbourg 1:357. 1843
Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 2300 (As Wikstroema viridiflora)
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1486
Haslam, S., 2004, Noosa's Native Plants. Noosa Integrated Catchment Assn. Inc. p 37
Jackes, B.R., 2001, Plants of the Tropics. Rainforest to Heath. An Identification Guide. James Cook University. p 84
Kintzios, S. E., 2006, Terrestrial Plant-Derived Anticancer Agents and Plant Species Used in Anticancer research. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. 25: pp 79-113
Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 249
Mot So Rau Dai an Duoc O Vietnam. Wild edible Vegetables. Ha Noi 1994, p 278
Williams, J.B., Harden, G.J., and McDonald, W.J.F., 1984, Trees and shrubs in rainforests of New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Univ. of New England, Armidale. p 120