Salacia chinensis L.

The roots of this species have medicinal uses, including normalizing menstruation and invigorating circulation.

Climbing shrubs, to 4 m tall; branchlets angular. Petiole 8-10 mm; leaf blade elliptic, narrowly ovate-rotund or obovate-elliptic, (3-)5-11 × (1.5-)2-5 cm, leathery, abaxially brown-green when dry, adaxially shiny olive-green, base cuneate, margin sparsely denticulate, apex subacute to shortly acuminate; lateral veins 6 or 7 pairs. Fascicles axillary, 3-6-flowered; pedicel 6-10 mm. Sepals deltoid, up to 1 mm, margin ciliolate; petals broadly ovate, ca. 3 mm, broadly spreading or curved outward, apex rounded. Disk cupular, ca. 1 mm tall. Stamens 3; filaments short, flat, inserted at margin of disk; anthers forked. Ovary concealed in disk, 3-loculed; ovules 2 per locule; style very short, conic. Berry globose or ovate, ca. 1 cm in diam., red when ripe, 1-seeded. Fl. Dec, fr. Jan-Feb.

Guangdong, Guangxi [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

Forests; below 100-700 m.

Salacia prinoides (Willdenow) Candolle; Tontelea pri noides Willdenow.