Ixora javanica

(Blume) DC.

Javanese ixora, Jungle flame

Rubiaceae Edible: Flowers, Fruit 163 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5-11 m tall. The leaves are opposite and simple. The flowers are 12 mm across. They are orange to red. There is a long corolla tube. The flowers are in groups. The fruit are 1 cm across. They are red to purple.

Edible Uses

Flowers - cooked and used as a vegetable. The young flowers and the young fruits are both ingredients of a Thai mixed vegetable soup known as 'kaeng liang'.

Traditional Uses

The young flowers and young fruit are used in a vegetable soup.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Extracts of the plant have shown promising anti-tumour activity. The leaves and flowers are used in a 'cure-all' infusion.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in forests up to 700 m above sea level. It is usually on hillsides but can be along rivers. It is usually on rich clay soils but can be on sandy and basic soils.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, West Africa,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or stem cuttings.

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings of short-jointed, semi-ripe, non-flowering wood. Pot each cutting up singly and keep in a humid, shaded position at around 25°c until rooted. Air layering

Synonyms

Pavetta javanica Blume

Also Known As

Boyu bukit, Bunga jarung, Khem, Pkakroham, Ponna-yeik, Soka api hutan, Soka jawa

References (5)

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 212
Prodr. 4:487. 1830
Slik, F., www.asianplant.net
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 650
Turreira Garcia, N., et al, 2017, Ethnobotanical knowledgeof the Kuy and Khmer people in Prey Lang, Cambodia. Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2017 (1): 76-101