Polyscias verticillata

Stone

Valanguar

AraliaceaeLeaves

foodseasoning

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President and Fellows of Harvard College

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Vegetable

The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable with a pleasant aroma, and are used to flavor stews.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It occurs in coastal areas and probably up to 1000 m altitude. It is mostly planted around houses. It occurs at Madang, Manus, New Britain and New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. Usually it is near the sea level and below 140 m altitude.

Asia, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Solomon Islands,

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, 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 grown as a hedge and of which the young leaves are eaten. It grows up to 7 m high. The leaves are arranged in spirals towards the ends. The leaves can be 1 m long. The leaves are twice divided. The leaf stalk is 24-30 cm long. The leaf sheaths form a flat section clasping the leaf stalk. Leaf shapes, colours and size vary between species and varieties. The leaf blades are oblong and often more broad near the base. The midrib and side veins are visible. The leaf blades are 16-27 cm by 5-13 cm. The flowering stalks are large and at the ends of the branches. The flower stalks branch and radiate out. The fruit are round and fleshy and black. The leaves are like Polyscias macgillivrayi but the flower arrangement is different.

How to Grow

Plants are grown by cuttings. They are often used as an ornamental hedge. This plant is often used to form a hedge around their houses and gardens. Constantly picking the leaves helps maintain it as a small pruned shrub. As a shrub they grow from 2 to 5 m tall. Seeds are produced and spread by birds. These self sown seedlings are sometimes replanted.

Propagation: Seed - Cuttings.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is used in traditional medicine.

Other Uses

The plant responds very well to constant pruning and is often grown as a hedge within its native range. Grows well under coconuts.

Other Information

In Papua New Guinea it is moderately common as an ornamental in coastal areas, but not always eaten. It is popular in the Gazelle Peninsula.

Notes

There are about 100 Polyscias species.

Names & Synonyms

Nothopanax spp.etc.

References (35)

Valanguar references Polyscias verticillata
Bailey, L.H., 1916, Rhodora 18 153.
Barrau. J., 1958, Subsistence Agriculture in Melanesia. B. P. Bishop Museum
Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 54
Burkill, p 1589,
Conn, B.J., (Ed.) 1995, Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea. Vol 3. Melbourne University Press. p 34
Corner, Nothopanax
De Clerq, 1927, Niew Plantk. Woordenb. 2 nd ed. p160 no.2863
Engler, & Prant Die Nat. Pflan. Fam. 3.7.8
Filet, , 1888, Plantk. Woordenb. 2nd Ed. p 5 No. 76.
Fosberg, 1948, Univ. Hawaii Occ. Paper 46, 9
French, B.R., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, A Compendium. Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 74
French, B.R., 2010, Food Plants of Solomon Islands. A Compendium. Food Plants International Inc. p 94
Harms, 1923, Polyscias pinnata Bot. Jahrb. 56:409
Heyne, 1927, Nutt. Planten 2nd Ed p1209
Holmes, 1892, Bull. Pharm 6 p111
Koorders, 1912, Exkflora von Java, 2, p717;
Koorders, Atlas Baumart. Java 4.2 fig 697
Martin, F.W., & Ruberte, R.M., 1975, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
Menaut, 1929, Bull. Econ. Indochine p246
Miquel, 1856, Flora Ind. Bt. 1(1):765
Ochse, , 1925, Tropische Groenten p 17 with a fig.
Ochse, Nothopanax fruticosum (L.)Miq.
Oomen, H.A.P.C., & Grubben, G.J.H., 1978, Tropical Leaf Vegetables in Human Nutrition, Communication 69, Department of Agricultural research, RTI Amsterdam, p 24
Parham, Plants of the Fiji Is. p129.
Peekel,
Philipson,W.R.,1979, Araliaceae, in Flora Malesiana Ser. 1 vol. 9:1 p71
PROSEA handbook Volume 13 Spices. p 279
Sharma, A.K. & Chatterji, A.K., 1964, Cytological study as an aid in the interpretation of the systematic status of the different genera of Araliaceae. Cytologia 29:1-12.
Smith, A.C. & Stone, B.C., 1968, The Araliaceae of the New Hebrides, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. J. Arnold. Arb. 49(4):431-493 8 pls.
Stone, B.C., 1965, Notes on Polyscias (Araliaceae) from Micronesia. Micronesica. Journ. Coll. of Guam 2(1).
Stone, B.C., 1965, Notes on the type species of Polyscias J.R.& G.Forst. (Araliaceae). Taxon 14(8): 281-285
Stone, B.C., 1966, Polyscias verticillata (Araliaceae), A New Species from the Solomon Islands. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, Vol. 47 p270
Stone, B.C. & Loo, A.H., 1969, Cytotaxonomic notes on some species of Polyscias (Aralaceae) Journ. Jap. Bot. Vol. 44 No.11. p321-
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew