Common Name:

General Information

Hunteria zeylanica is an evergreen shrub or tree usually growing up to 15 metres tall, though one report mentions trees up to 40 metres. The bole is fluted, it can be sinuous or straight, and is up to 30cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood and latex. It is used as an ornamental because of its dark green shiny leaves and sweet-scented white flowers[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

East Africa - Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique; E. Asia - China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia

Habitat

An understorey plant in dry coastal forest, mixed evergreen forest, gallery forest and wooded scrub. Along the coast it grows on sandy soil or coral rock, but is also found on sandy gravelly soils along rivers inland, at elevations up to 350 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of lowland tropical areas, where it is found at elevations up to 350 metres[]. It can be found in areas of seasonal and also all year round rainfall.
The trees can withstand waterlogging and salinity[].
The plant can flower all year round in parts of its range[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The yellow or orange fruit is composed of 2 separate, obovoid to globose mericarps up to 3cm long, usually containing 2 seeds[]

Medicinal

A leaf decoction is drunk to cure stomach-ache[].
The leaves are used as a healing poultice on wounds and cuts[, ].

Over 20 indole alkaloids have been isolated from the plant[].
The alkaloid corymine was extracted from the leaves. This compound aggravated convulsions induced by either picrotoxin or strychnine[].
In tests, a crude methanol extract of the leaves produced biphasic effects on the central nervous system, depression and stimulation, whereas corymine only had a stimulatory effect[].
A stem bark extract showed anti-inflammatory activity[]. This extract also exhibited antinociceptive and antipyretic effects - the former effect may be mediated by the anti-inflammatory action[].
The results of tests suggest that a stem bark extract has peripheral analgesic and mild antipyretic effects, with strictosidinic acid as the major active constituent[].

Other Uses

All parts of the plant contain a colourless or milky latex[]. The latex is used as a substitute for rubber[].

The brownish-yellow wood is very hard, close and even-grained[, ]. It is used for engraving, the handles of knives, swords or axes, combs, boxes, sheaths and bows[, ].
The wood is used as fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?