Rotheca serrata
(L.) Steane & Mabb.
Barangi, Blue fountain bush
(c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) pbsingh, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
no rights reserved
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Flowers, Roots
The tender leaves are eaten raw or briefly roasted as a vegetable, providing a bitter flavouring and used in curries. The young unopened flowers are fried. The ripe fruit are roasted and made into chutney. The roots are dried, powdered, and used to flavour liquor.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows near the edge of the sea. In Indonesia it grows from sea level to 1,500 m above sea level. It grows in grassland and open forests. In Yunnan.
Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
How to Identify
An erect evergreen shrub. It grows 1-5 m tall. It branches from the base. The main stem is almost square with white spots on the green bark. The leaves are oval to heart shaped and taper quickly to the tip. Leaves grow in threes. The leaves are arranged in a cross shape and they have short stalks. They are narrowly oval and there are coarse teeth. They are dark green and shiny above and pale underneath. They are 5-30 cm long by 3-15 cm wide. The veins are greenish-purple and prominent near the base. The flowers are greenish or bluish white. They are surrounded by leafy bracts. The flowering shoots are at the top and at the ends of branches. When young they have a grey covering. These occur it the ends of branches. They are elongated. The flowers are large. The fruit are flattened berries.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds or softwood cuttings. It can be grown as a hedge. It can also be grown from shoots from the roots.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as possible. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20 - 60 days at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is commonly used in traditional medicine as a poultice for skin diseases, yaws, headache, leprosy and persistent fever. It is an ingredient of an embrocation for stiff joints. The dried leaves, roots or stems enter in various prescriptions for haemorrhoids. A decoction of leaves and/or stem is used as a carminative, and to relieve fevers and chronic headache The pounded leaves are applied externally in various prescriptions for cephalalgia, ophthalmia skin infections, leprous sores, rheumatism and painful joints. The pounded leaves, combined with camphor and wood ashes, are applied topically to skin diseases. The leaf juice is said to be an anti-leech medicine. A decoction of the stem is used as an antimalarial and to relieve abdominal pain. A decoction of the fruit is given to relieve colic. Ripe and unripe fruits are chewed with the leaves of Piper betle for treating coughs. The wood is considered diuretic. The root is considered antiemetic. It is used in medicine for treating fevers, rheumatism and dyspepsia. The flowers are consumed during labour. The seeds are used to some extent for treating oedema.
Other Uses
The plant responds well to trimming and is commonly grown as an ornamental hedge in southeast Asia.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Rotheca serrata, commonly known as the blue fountain bush, the blue-flowered glory tree or the beetle killer, is a species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Other Information
It is a cultivated plant.
Notes
It is also used in medicine. There are about 400 Clerodendrum species.
Names & Synonyms
Angaravalli, Barangi, Beja oti esing, Bharangi, Bhargi, Bharungi, Bommalamarri, Cherutekku, Gantubarangi, Hin-byar, Hin-khar, Kan henda, Kankabharnni, Kertase, Lei dum-suak, Mata kesang, Mismau khasiba, Moirang khanam, Nangal bhanga, Oti'oyi'ng, Phaleng hethoh, Phelang-riho, Phuinhamshak, Pinggir tomek, Pumi aye, Rilong-phlang, Sarum lutur, Senggunggu, Sengugu, Singugu, Siri tekku, Smlpavqdovniov, Srigungu, Tambun tasek, Tenjal tasek, Timba tasek, Tinjal tasek, Tipin poto, Yin-byar
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