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Uvaria siamensis

(Scheff.) L.L.Zhou, Y. C. F. Su & R. M. K. Saunders

White cheesewood tree

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(c) eec, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by eec

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Wangworn Sankamethawee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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Uvaria siamensis, locally called nom-maew (Thai: นมแมว), is a plant in the family Annonaceae. Uvaria siamensis is a shrub or liana native to Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and northern Peninsular Malaysia. It is related to the ylang-ylang. It requires little care and can even be kept in containers, blooming from spring until fall. Despite their plainness, the flowers of the genus Uvaria have a aroma that can travel very far. It is for this that Asian gardeners include it among their favorite garden plants. This plant can tolerate some shade; however, lack of sunlight adversely affects flowering.

Description

A tree. It grows 8-12 m tall. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are narrowly oval and 7-15 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The flowers occur singly. They are in the axils of leaves. The flowers are pale yellow and have a scent. The fruit are made up of small fruit. They are black when ripe. They grow in bunches.

Edible Uses

The fruit are eaten.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in mixed deciduous forests and dry evergreen forests.

Where It Grows

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, SE Asia,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seed or from cuttings.

Synonyms

Fissistigma scheffleri Merr.Melodorum fruticosum Lour.Melodorum schefferi Pierre ex Finet & Gagnep. Melodorum siamense (Scheff.) BanRauwenhoffila siamensis Scheff. Uvaria godefroyana Finet & Gagnep.Check also Unona dumetorum Dunal.

Also Known As

Devil's tree, Pohon hantu, Romduol, Rumduel

References (3)

  • Ali, R. M., et al, (Eds.), 2010, ASEAN Herbal and Medicinal Plants. Forestry research Institute Malaysia. p 67 (As Melodorum fruticosum)
  • Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 394 (As Melodorum fruticosum)
  • 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 (As Melodorum fruticosum)

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