Common Name:

General Information

Rotheca serrata is a shrub or small tree growing up to 4 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for use in traditional medicine and as a food[]. The plant is often grown as an ornamental hedge[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Forests on mountain slopes and in valleys at elevations of 200 - 1,800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Edible Uses

Young leaves, young shoots and flower clusters are eaten as lalab (a vegetable salad served with sambal) with rice[, ]. Somewhat bitter[].
The leaves are consumed during labour[].
The shoots, raw or toasted, are consumed as a bitter seasoning[].

Medicinal

The plant is commonly used in traditional medicine as a poultice for skin diseases, yaws, headache, leprosy and persistent fever[]. It is an ingredient of an embrocation for stiff joints. The dried leaves, roots or stems enter in various prescriptions for haemorrhoids[].

A decoction of leaves and/or stem is used as a carminative, and to relieve fevers and chronic headache[, ]
The pounded leaves are applied externally in various prescriptions for cephalalgia, ophthalmia skin infections, leprous sores, rheumatism and painful joints[, ]. The pounded leaves, combined with camphor and wood ashes, are applied topically to skin diseases[].
The leaf juice is said to be an anti-leech medicine[].

A decoction of the stem is used as an antimalarial and to relieve abdominal pain[].

A decoction of the fruit is given to relieve colic[]. Ripe and unripe fruits are chewed with the leaves of Piper betle for treating coughs[].

The wood is considered diuretic[].

The root is considered antiemetic[]. It is used in medicine for treating fevers, rheumatism and dyspepsia[, ].

The flowers are consumed during labour[].

The seeds are used to some extent for treating oedema[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant responds well to trimming and is commonly grown as an ornamental hedge in southeast Asia[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as possible. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20 - 60 days at 20°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.

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