Symplocos odoratissima

(Blume) Choisy ex Zol..

Kisariawan

SymplocaceaeLeaves

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

Young red leaf-sheaths are eaten.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. In Indonesia it grows from sea level to 1,200 m above sea level.

Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, 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 tree. It can grow 10-25 m tall. The leaves have leaf stalks. The leaves are narrowly oval. The base is acute of wedge shaped. There are teeth along the edge. They are shiny and dark green above and dull pale green underneath. The flowers are in the axils of leaves or near the ends of the branches. They are in groups 5-25 cm long and have a rusty covering.

Medicinal Uses

The inner bark is often used in the treatment of thrush - the pounded bark is applied to the gums and decoctions of the bark being drunk. Young leaves are pounded or used in decoctions in the treatment of thrush. The pulped leaves are also applied to the abdomen after birth.

Other Uses

Many species in this genus accumulate aluminium, especially in their leaves and bark. Those species where the leaves turn yellow upon drying contain the largest quantities of aluminiun (up to 4.2% dry weight). Thus many Symplocos species can be used as the source of a yellow dye, and can also be used as a mordant.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Symplocos odoratissima is a tree in the family Symplocaceae, native to Southeast Asia. The specific epithet odoratissima means 'most fragrant', referring to the flowers.

Notes

There are over 250 Symplocos species.

References (6)

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 2152
Lembogi Biologi Nasional, 1980, Sayur-sayuran. Balai Pustaka, Jakarta. p 66
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 221
Nooteboom 1977, Symplocaceae in Flora Malesiana Series 1 Vol 8(2) p245
Ochse, J. J. et al, 1931, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies. Asher reprint. p 696
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew