Alstonia macrophylla

Wall. ex G. Don

Match stick tree

ApocynaceaeRootsBark/SapSpice/Beverage

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Root - flavouring, Bark - drink

The root is roasted and used as a flavouring. The bark is scraped and used with water as a drink.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. In Indonesia it grows up to 1,500 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Africa, Asia, China, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bhutan, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Comoros, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A tree. It grows 20 m tall. The bark is smooth. The branches are angled. The leaves are in rings of 3 or 4. They are 10-53 cm long by 4-19 cm wide. They are hairy underneath. The flowers are at the ends of branches.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown by seeds.

Medicinal Uses

The bark, in the form of a powder, decoction, infusion, tincture or wine preparation, is used as an antiamoebic, anticholeric, antidysenteric, antimalarial, antiperiodic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, tonic and a vulnerary. The scraped bark is mixed with water and drunk, as well as used as a wash on the forehead, in order to relieve a headache. The powdered bark, mixed with water, is used against skin diseases.. A decoction of the young leaves is drunk to cure lung and ear congestions.

Other Uses

The wood is used as hard alstonia. It is used for construction purposes, furniture and flooring.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Alstonia macrophylla, the hard alstonia, hard milkwood or big-leaved macrophyllum, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Ajooras, Pohon pulai daun lebar, Poole batoo

Alstonia acuminata Miq.Alstonia batino BlancoAlstonia brassii Monach.Alstonia glabrifolia Markgr.Alstonia oblongifolia Merr.Alstonia pangkorensis King & GambleAlstonia paucinervia Merr.Alstonia subsessilis Miq.

References (6)

Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 7
Uphof, 1968,
Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 31 (As Alstonia acuminata)
Slik, F., www.asianplant.net
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 123
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew