Clausena excavata

Clausena excavata is a species of evergreen shrub that grows 1–2 metres (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The plant is commonly by various names, including pink lime-berry, cama, cemama, cemamar, cerek, cerek hitam, kemantu hitam, secerek, semeru, and suntang hitam.

Description

A shrub 1-2-4 m high. It can be 10 m tall. All parts of the plant are hairy. The leaves have a smell. The leaflets are placed one after another along opposite sides of the stalk. There are 15-31 leaflets. The leaflets have short stalks and are 2.5-7.5 cm long by 0.8-2.5 cm wide. They are clear along the edges. The leaves have round teeth along the edges. They are hairy underneath. The flowers are yellowish. The fruit are oblong. The fruit are in clusters. The fruit contain 3 large seeds.

Edible Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten occasionally in cooking and are popular in some regions. The leaves are stewed in curries as a spice. The rootstock is powdered to flavour local liquor.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are occasionally used in cooking. The ripe fruit are edible. The leaves are stewed in curries as a spice. The rootstock is powdered and used to flavour local liquor.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking, emitting a curry-like smell when crushed. The plant's berries are also edible and have an anise flavour. The plant is astringent, bitter, emmenagogue and considered a tonic for digestive problems. One of the phytochemicals the plant contains is lichexanthone.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in secondary undergrowth in Indochina. In Nepal it grows to about 500 m altitude. It forms dense stands along roads.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Central America, China, Christmas Island, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, West Indies,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Other Uses

The leaves and bark contain essential oils that are used in the perfume industry. The leaves are insecticidal. The wood is white and has a fine structure. Although often too small to be of much service, in Java the tree is large enough for the wood to be used for making axe handles. The plant is often fond on disturbed ground such as along the sides of roads. This makes it sound like a potential pioneer species, though the rate of growth needs to be known first. There is also a possible concern that the plant could escape from cultivation and invade native habitats, so it should possibly only be used as a pioneer within its native range.

Other Information

It is a popular fruit in some places. It is widely cultivated.

Notes

There are about 23-30 Clausena species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Agnijal, Agnijhad, Asanyam, Bagal tikus, Bajetah, Chamar, Chememar, Cherek hitam, Daw-hke, Fia fan, Hrila-sheng, Kantrook khmao'ch, Kemantu hitam, Ki bechetah, Opinjala, Pink wampee, Pokok cherek, Pokok kemantu, Pyin-daw-thein, Pyin-thaw-thein, Saen sok, Sam-sweng, Secherek, Seik-nan, Semeru, Shan huang pi, Sicherek, Tikusan, Whample

References (29)

• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1935
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 130
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 206
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 119
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 585

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