Ardisia complanata

Wall.

PrimulaceaeLeavesShoots

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(c) Klowitz Tsai, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Klowitz Tsai

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) amirfaruq, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Shoots

The leaves and shoots are used in curries with fish.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant.

Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Christmas Island, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A tropical shrub or small tree with narrow, sword-shaped leaves, belonging to the Primulaceae family.

How to Grow

Species in this genus generally prefer a well-drained humus rich soil in partial shade in a position sheltered from cold drying winds.

Medicinal Uses

The plant (part not specified) is used in the treatment of liver disease, cough and diarrhoea. A paste made from the leaf is applied topically to treat herpes zoster or a kind of measles. In the course of screening for antioxidants in Thai medicinal plants, the extract of the fruits of this species showed relatively high scavenging activity. A phytochemical study on the bark of this plant reported the isolation of the medicinally active compounds rapanone and ilexol.

Other Uses

The plant ()part not specified) is the source of a dye.

Notes

Also put in the family Myrsinaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Nal tenga

Ardisia colorata Roxb.and several others

References (1)

Saikia, M., 2015, Wild edible vegetables consumed by Assamese people of Dhemaji District of Assam, NE India and their medicinal values. Archives of Applied Science Research, 2015, 7 (5):102-109 (As Ardisia colorata)