Pemphis acidula

Pemphis acidula, commonly known as bantigue (pron. bahn-TEE-geh) or mentigi, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lythraceae. It is the only species in the genus Pemphis. It is found growing in sandy and calcareous soils in littoral zones, rocky shores and mangroves throughout most of the tropical Indo-Pacific.

Description

A shrub or small tree. It can grow to 2-10 m high and spread 1.5-6 m wide. The trunk is gnarled and grey. Young growth has grey silky hairs. The bark is brown and flaky. The small branches are angular. The leaves are small, fleshy and oval. They are 1.3-2.5 cm long by 0.3-0.7 cm wide. They are opposite and grey-green. The flowers are small and white. They have 6 papery petals. The flower is almost enclosed in a reddish ring of the outer sepals. The fruit is a capsule 0.7 cm across. It is red.

Edible Uses

The small red fruits are sometimes eaten in Kiribati. The acid leaves are eaten raw.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are sometimes eaten in Kiribati. The leaves are acid and eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

An infusion of the sap plus a handful of bark has been drunk as an abortifacient. A filtered infusion of the bark is used as an abortifacient. The bark is used to treat stomatitis. The bark contains 19 - 43% tannin. In-vitro tests of the bark showed an increased activity on the amplitude and frequency of uterine contractions, which confirms the traditional use in Vanuata as an abortifacient. Bark extracts were found to have antibacterial, antioxidant and topoisomerase I inhibitor activities. Four galloyl flavonol glycosides with antioxidant activity have been isolated from leaf extracts.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows on coastal limestone rocks and on atolls. It is common on the inner margins of mangroves. It occurs on Pacific atolls.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Caroline Islands, Chuuk, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, FSM, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Pacific, Palau, Rotuma, Ryukyu, Samoa, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yap,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Other Uses

Along the East African coast the bark has been used for tanning. The bark contains 19 - 43% tannin. The rotting wood, mixed with coconut oil, is used as a cosmetic. The scraped bark yields a red dye. The heartwood is reddish brown to dark reddish brown, turning dark brown upon exposure; it is clearly differentiated from the about 1cm wide band of pale sapwood. The grain is interlocked; texture very fine; the wood lustrous. The wood is very heavy; very hard; very strong; and very durable, being resistant to dry-wood termite and Lyctus attacks. It air dries well with little checking and warping. The rates of shrinkage upon air drying are moderate. It is very difficult to work, difficult to split, but with care it takes a high finish and is easily polished. The extremely hard and durable wood is much used traditionally for a range of smaller items including house posts, fence posts, tool handles, digging sticks, walking-sticks, domestic implements, turnery, anchors, boat nails, thatching needles, pestles and mortars, drums. The wood is used for fuel and charcoal production. A preferred fuel, it burns with a very hot flame.

Notes

There is only one (2) Pemphis species.

Also Known As

Chantigi, Gagie, Giria, Kahengy, Keredhi, Kuredhi, Mentigi, Mintagu, Nigas, Ngis, Sentigi, Te ngea, Tien le, Truh-kees

References (32)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 437
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1716
• Cabalion, P. and Morat, P., 1983, Introduction le vegetation, la flore et aux noms vernaculaires de l'ile de Pentcoste (Vanuatu), In: Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquee JATBA Vol. 30, 3-4
• Clarke, W.C. & Thaman, R.R., 1993, Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for sustainability. United Nations University Press. New York. p 252
• Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 274

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