| Acronychia pedunculata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| At Udawattakele, Kandy, Sri Lanka | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Acronychia |
| Species: | A. pedunculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Miq. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Acronychia pedunculata is a large shrub or small tree of the understory, gaps and fringes of low country and lower hill tropical forests of tropical Asia.
Leaves: elliptic to suboblong, often with tapered base. Twigs more or less angular, glabrous. Flowers: greenish white; I-acillary, corymbose panicles, about 14 mm (0.6 in) across in inflorescences of 4–24 cm (2–9 in) wide. Flowering: February–April, July–August. The fruits are cream to brownish yellow drupes, slightly angled, 0.5–1.5 cm (0.2–0.6 in) in diameter with a short apiculate tip. Leaves and fruits, and other parts of the plant, contain aromatic oils with a resinous scent. In Sri Lanka, the flowering time is February–April and July–August. [2] [3]
South and Southeast Asia from India & Sri Lanka to South China & Taiwan, Indochina, Malesia & Papua New Guinea. [4]
Extracts of its leaves, bark, stems and fruits are widely used in herbal medicinal applications against sores, scabies and intestinal infections, due to their antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Contains aromatic, essential oils, which are used in China for making perfumes. The ripe fruit is edible and has a sweet acidic flavor. Unripe fruits have a strongly astringent, resinous taste. The roots are used as a fish-poison in southern Vietnam. [5] [6] [7] [8] In India the wood is used for carving, poles, house construction and making the charcoal preferred by goldsmiths. And the tender leaves are used in salads and as a condiment. [9]
Its wood, called lakawood (a term covering a few different plants), is also used in incense production. [10] It is particularly favoured by Taoist practitioners who are forbidden from using sandalwood.[ citation needed ]
According to a paper by a scholar at the University of Athens (July 2012), the acrovestone (molecular weight 554.67 g/mole) contained in Acronychia pedunculata has significant cytotoxicity to prostate cancer and melanoma cells. [11]
Marjoram is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marjoram are used to distinguish it from other plants of the genus Origanum. It is also called pot marjoram, although this name is also used for other cultivated species of Origanum.
Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is naturalized in many other temperate parts of the world, including northern and southern Africa, North America, and South America. It is used as a flavouring in food and herbal teas. The aromatic oil, called oil of spearmint, is also used as a flavoring and sometimes as a scent.
Eugenia uniflora, the pitanga, Suriname cherry, Brazilian cherry, Cayenne cherry, cerisier carré, monkimonki kersie,ñangapirí, or shimarucu is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to tropical South America’s east coast, ranging from Suriname, French Guiana to southern Brazil, as well as Uruguay and parts of Paraguay and Argentina. It is often used in gardens as a hedge or screen. The tree was introduced to Bermuda for ornamental purposes but is now out of control and listed as an invasive species. The tree has also been introduced to Florida.
Aegle marmelos, commonly known as bael, also Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple, is a species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is present in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
Mesua ferrea, the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron, is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its graceful shape, grayish-green foliage with a beautiful pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and large, fragrant white flowers. It is the national tree of Sri Lanka, as well as the state tree of Mizoram and state flower of Tripura in India.
Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown. It is also widely naturalised farther north in Europe and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world.
Trichopus zeylanicus is a small herbaceous plant, which is one of only two species of its genus, Trichopus. Formerly it was placed in its own family, Trichopodaceae, but is now included in the family Dioscoreaceae. The leaves are about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long and grow from a rhizome. The shape of the leaves can be highly variable even within one location, but the most common shape is cordate. The herb grows on sandy soil near rivers and streams in shady places in lowland and intermediate altitude forests. It flowers year long and the fruits are thought to be dispersed by water. The unusual flowers are purplish black.
Allophylus zeylanicus is a species of plant in the family Sapindaceae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Artocarpus nobilis, the Ceylon breadfruit, is a tree species in the family Moraceae. It is endemic to south western regions of Sri Lanka. It is known as "Wal dhel - වල් දෙල්", "Baedi dhel - බැදි දෙල්" or as "Hingala dhel - හිංගල දෙල්" by local people.
Mangifera zeylanica or "Sri Lanka wild mango" is a wild species of mango tree endemic to Sri Lanka. This stately tree is the tallest member of the mango genus, Mangifera, and one of the two tallest trees in the family Anacardiaceae. The mango fruits are edible and have an excellent taste. It is called "aetamba" (ඇටඹ) or "wal amba" in Sinhala and “kaddu-ma” in Tamil. The well-known British botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker first described the tree in 1876.
Senna auriculata is a leguminous tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is commonly known by its local names matura tea tree, avaram or ranawara, or the English version avaram senna. It is the State flower of Indian state of Telangana. It occurs in the dry regions of India and Sri Lanka. It is common along the sea coast and the dry zone in Sri Lanka.
Zanthoxylum americanum, the common prickly-ash, common pricklyash, common prickly ash or northern prickly-ash, is an aromatic shrub or small tree native to central and eastern portions of the United States and Canada. It is the northernmost New World species in the citrus family, Rutaceae, and is the type species in its genus, which includes sichuan pepper. It can grow to 10 meters (33 ft) tall with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 15 cm (5.9 in). It produces membranous leaflets and axillary flower clusters. The wood is not commercially valuable, but oil extracts from the bark have been used in traditional and alternative medicine, and have been studied for antifungal and cytotoxic properties. The genus name is sometimes spelled Xanthoxylum.
Oroxylum indicum is a species of flowering plant of the monotypic genus Oroxylum in the family Bignoniaceae. It is commonly called Indian trumpet tree, oroxylum, Indian trumpet flower, broken bones, scythe tree, tree of Damocles, or midnight horror It can reach a height of 18 metres (59 ft). Various segments of the tree are used in traditional medicine.
Dendrocnide sinuata is a poisonous plant called pulutus, pulus, stinging tree, fever nettle, or elephant nettle, growing in subtropical wet evergreen forests throughout Asia. Some of its uses in herbal medicine have been scientifically validated.
Brucea javanica is a plant in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet javanica is from Latin, meaning "of Java". Other common names in English include Java brucea and kosam.
Gaultheria fragrantissima is a species of flowering plant native to southern and southeastern Asia. It is commonly known as fragrant wintergreen or dhasingre.
Macaranga indica is a heliophilous evergreen plant native to South and Southeast Asia and China. A crimson colored resin called "macaranga gum" is obtained from this plant. Many parts of the plant are used for ayurvedic medicine in India and Sri Lanka.
Dorstenia indica is a small plant species in the family Moraceae native to Southern India and Sri Lanka. It was first described by Robert Wight in 1853.
Adenia hondala, commonly known as hondala is a large, tuberous, woody climber which scrambles over other plants. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, and in southeastern Asia. The tuber and the fruit are used as herbal remedies and the plant is used as a cure for snake bites. The caterpillars of several species of butterfly feed on this plant; these include the tawny coster, the clipper, the common cruiser and the Tamil lacewing.
Garcinia cowa, commonly known as cowa fruit or cowa mangosteen is an evergreen plant with edible fruit native to Asia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and southwest China. The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruits and leaves, which are used locally. Flowers are yellow, male & female flowers are separated.
