Ochna integerrima (Lour.) Merr. - OCHNACEAE

Basionym : Elaeocarpus integerrimus Lour.

Synonym : Ochna andamanica Kurz
Ochna wallichii Planchon

Common name : Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant

English   Lao   

Botanical descriptions Habitat and ecology Distribution

Botanical descriptions :

Diagnostic characters : Small deciduous trees. Stipules present, small. Flowers bisexual, yellow, style attached to base of ovary. Fruits black on enlarged red receptacle surrounded by enlarged, reflexed red sepals.
Habit : Deciduous tree up to 10 m tall.
Trunk & bark : Bole straight, or often twisted, bark smooth, lenticells, pale brown.
Branches and branchlets or twigs : Twigs terete, glabrous.
Exudates : Exudate absent.
Leaves : Leaves simple, alternate and distichous, obovate, glabrous, apex obtuse, base rounded to acute, margin dentate.
Primary nerve single, secondary veins 7-15 pairs, oblique with numerous intersecondary nerves, tertiary nerves reticulate.
Stipules tiny, falling off early, intrapetiolarly united.
Inflorescences or flowers : Flowers yellow, arranged in a few-flowered inflorescence, axillary on leafless twigs, bisexual, pedicels longer than 0.5 cm.
Fruits : Fruits up to 1.1 cm, black sitting on enlarge red torus with reflexed red sepals.
Seeds : Seed 1.

Habitat and ecology :

Common in semi-open areas with pine or dipterocarps, but also in evergreen forest.

Distribution :

India (North-East, Andamans, Nicobars), Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Malay Peninsula, China (Hainan), Indochina, Laos (Khammouan).

Remark/notes/uses :
The bark is used to treat sore throats. It is a very popular garden plant and good luck cut flower during New Year festivities.

Specimens studied :
BT 34, BT 126, BT 225, BT 420, BT 427, BT 846, BT 854, BT 1024, LAO 56, LAO 231 (Herbarium of Faculty of Sciences-NUoL, NHN-Leiden and CIRAD-Montpellier).

Literature :
Gardner S., Sidisunthorn P. & Anusarnsunthorn V. 2000. A field guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand. Kobfai Publishing Project. Bangkok. Thailand.

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