Mussaenda frondosa
L.
Rubiaceae
Gardenia frondosa (L.) Lam.
Mussaenda belilla Buch.-Ham.
Mussaenda dovinia Buch.-Ham.
Mussaenda flavescens Buch.-Ham.
Mussaenda formosa L.
Mussaenda fruticosa L.
Mussaenda ingrata Wall. ex Hook.f.
Mussaenda macrophylla Kurz
Mussaenda sumatrensis B.Heyne ex Roth
Mussaenda tomentosa Wight ex Hook.f.
Mussaenda villosa Schltdl. ex Hook.f.
Common Name:
Cultivated plant in Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, Hawaii
Photograph by: Forest and Kim Starr
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Cultivated plant in Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, Hawaii
Photograph by: Forest and Kim Starr
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Flowers, developing fruits, true leaves and the white, leaf-like calyces.
Photograph by: Vinayaraj
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Flowers
Photograph by: Forestowlet
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
General Information
Mussaenda frondosa is a rounded, evergreen shrub growing up to 3 metres tall.
The plant is gathered from the wild for its edible leaves and medicinal uses. It is also cultivated as an ornamental in gardens[
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Assam, Nepal, Andaman and Nicobar, Vietnam, Indonesia.
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Shrub |
| Height | 3.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of subtropical to tropical areas, it is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres in Nepal[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
].
Prefers a sunny position. Prefers a soil with a pH around 7[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
The leaves and the sepals are eaten as a salad vegetable[
].
The white, leaf-like segment of the calyx is eaten as a vegetable[
459- Title
- The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol 9
- Author
- Safford W.E.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institute; Washington.
- Year
- 1905
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Medicinal
The juice of the plant is used to treat eye infections[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
A decoction of the leaves is used to rid the body of intestinal worms[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
The root is used as a treatment for leprosy[
459- Title
- The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol 9
- Author
- Safford W.E.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institute; Washington.
- Year
- 1905
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The juice of the roots, combined with about 10% by volume of cow's urine, is used in the treatment of jaundice[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
]. The juice is also used to treat blemishes on the tongue[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
].
The juice of the bark is used in the treatment of body ache, diarrhoea and dysentery[
273- Title
- Clematis - The Genus
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grey-Wilson. C.
- Publisher
- B. T. Batsford. London.
- Year
- 2000
- ISBN
- 0-7134-7659-1
- Description
- An excellent and well illustrated concise guide to all the known specis of Clematis.
].
The flowers are diuretic[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
]. They are used in the treatment of cough[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
].
Agroforestry Uses:
The leaves are used as a green manure[
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
Air layering.
Cuttings of half ripe wood.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
