Xylosma longifolia, known by numerous common names in different cultures, is a species of flowering plant in the willow family Salicaceae. It is native to areas from India to China and mainland Southeast Asia, where it occurs in moist tropical and subtropical forests. It is a small tree or shrub, and is widely used in traditional medicines.
Xylosma longifolia is an evergreen shrub or tree, typically reaching 4–7m (13–23ft) in height. Its gray-brown bark is scented, and the trunk may bear simple or branched spines, though they vary. Branchlets are glabrous, often armed with axillary spines, and exhibit sympodial growth. The leaves are simple, alternate, and stipule-absent, with a short petiole measuring 5–8mm (0.20–0.31in) and a leathery blade measuring 4–15cm (1.6–5.9in) by 2.5–5cm (0.98–1.97in). Leaf shape varies from narrowly elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, to narrowly obovate, but are typically lanceolate, featuring an acute, cuneate, or rarely obtuse base, serrate edges, and an acuminate tip with a 1–2cm (0.39–0.79in) acumen. Lateral veins number 6–11 pairs, prominently raised on both surfaces.
Flowers
Flowers are unisexual, hypogynous, bracteate, and greenish, measuring 2.5–3.5mm (0.098–0.138in) in diameter. They are borne in short racemes or reduced panicles, either singly or in condensed clusters within leaf axils. The rachis is 0.5–2cm (0.20–0.79in) long, glabrous or puberulous. Pedicels are slender, puberulous, and 1–2mm (0.039–0.079in) long. Bracts are ovate in staminate flowers and lanceolate in pistillate flowers, measure 0.5–1mm (0.020–0.039in), and glabrous or sparsely puberulous. Sepals, numbering 4–5, are persistent, ovate or lanceolate, 1–2mm (0.039–0.079in), glabrous or sparsely puberulous abaxially, entirely glabrous adaxially, with entire to erose margins. Petals are absent in both male and female flowers. Staminate flowers feature minute, 0.3mm (0.012in), ellipsoid, dorsifixed anthers and a glandular disk with small, connate glands. Pistillate flowers possess an annular or few-lobed disk, an ovoid superior ovary, measuring roughly 2mm (0.079in) with 2–3 placentas, each bearing 2–3 ovules. Styles, numbering 2–3, are very short, measuring 0.5–0.8mm (0.020–0.031in) or less and may be partly or completely joined.
Fruit
The fruit is a globose, dry berry, 4–6mm (0.16–0.24in) in diameter, glabrous, and crustaceous, enclosed in a thin sheath without dark streaks. Initially red when ripe, it dries to black, with the persistent calyx, disk, and style remaining attached. Fruiting pedicels are slender, 3–4mm (0.12–0.16in) long. Seeds, numbering 4–5, are brown, measure roughly 4mm (0.16in) long, ovoid, and flattened on one or more sides due to mutual compression. Flowering occurs from April to May, with fruiting from June to October.[7][8][9]
Xylosma longifolia is found in moist subtropical and mountain forests, typically at elevations ranging from 600–1,600m (2,000–5,200ft), often thriving in ravines. It primarily relies on entomophily, though cleistogamy and allogamy also occur. Seed dispersal is facilitated through autochory, zoochory, and anthropochory.[7][9]
Taxonomy
Xylosma longifolia was first described by Nathaniel Wallich in 1845 as Flacourtia ferox, although it used a different type specimen. The original taxon was superseded in 1857 by Dominique Clos with Xylosma longifolium.[8][2] Later, the genus underwent a grammatical gender concordance, initiated by William T. Stearn in 1992 when he questioned the genus’s gender, and finalized by Dan Henry Nicolson in 1994, putting Xylosma longifolia in agreement with the genus name.[11][12] The collective number of synonyms across different sources is approximately 15.[Note 1]
Historically, Xylosma longifolia was placed in Flacourtiaceae under older classification systems such as those of Cronquist and Takhtajan. Eventually, Flacourtiaceae, including this taxon, were reclassified into Salicaceae, a placement adopted by the APG III system and subsequently recognized by Plants of the World Online, though this classification remains disputed.[13][14][15]
Etymology
Due to its wide geographic distribution, Xylosma longifolia is known by numerous common names across different regions. In India alone, names vary by language and locale; notably known by chirundi, dandal, dieng-kani, godya, katari, kataponial, kandhara, mota-koli, nongleishang, katpatra, pansra, phalama, and sialu. In China, it is commonly called cháng yè zhà mù (Chinese:長葉柞木) or cháng yè zuò mù (Chinese:长叶柞木), while in Pakistan it is known as batti. In English, the plant is referred to as long-leaved xylosma or longleaf logwood.[16][9]
The genus nameXylosma derives from xylon (Ancient Greek: ξύλον), meaning "wood" or "tree," and osmé (Ancient Greek: ὀσμή), meaning "smell," overall referring to the aromatic wood found in some species.[17][18] The species epithetlongifolia means "long-leaved", in reference to the length of the foliage of this species.[19]
Phytotherapy
Xylosma longifolia is a significant ethnomedicinal plant widely used in northeastern India, particularly in Assam and Manipur. Both its leaves and stem bark are valued in traditional medicine for treating numerous ailments, including liver disorders, jaundice, piles, dysentery, gastritis, stomach pain, kidney stones, coughs, acne, scabies, ringworm, dizziness, restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, muscular sprains, and skin infections. It is also employed to eliminate lice and ticks, and even used by some communities in brewing beer. The plant exhibits notable pharmacological properties such as antispasmodic, antioxidant, antifungal, antidermatophytic, and antitubercular effects. Tribal communities prepare decoctions, extracts, or topical applications from boiled leaves and bark depending on the condition being treated. Phytochemical screening of methanol extracts has revealed a rich profile of bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins. Spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses confirmed the presence of multiple functional groups and a variety of major and minor compounds. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of the plant and point to the need for further research to isolate and develop new drugs from its phytoconstituents.[9][20]
Conservation status
Xylosma longifolia is broadly distributed with a stable and plentiful population. It currently faces no significant threats, and none are projected in the near future. Accordingly, it is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, though further research is needed to strengthen and expand upon this assessment.[1]
Notes
12The synonymy of Xylosma longifolia remains contested across different sources, with orthographic inconsistencies and authorial errata rooted in historical misattributions posing enduring confusion.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
