Cratoxylum cochinchinense

Family: Hypericaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It can grow up to 18 m tall. It can be just a shrub 4 m high. The bark is light brown and smooth and peels off. The leaves are opposite and narrowly oval and 5-10 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The leaves are greyish-green underneath. The veins are not joined in loops. The flowers are coral-red. They occur in groups of 1-7. The fruit are oval capsules 8-12 mm long.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in secondary forests, thickets, dry sunny mountain slopes, hills; to 1200 m in China. It grows on sea-side cliffs and along streams. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The young fruit are used as a spice. The young leaves are used for tea. The leaves are also used in soup dishes and also eaten raw.

It is sold in local markets in China.

Edible parts

Fruit - spice, leaves - tea, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Huang niu jiaao, Huang niu mu, Jiu ge ge qia, Phak tio, Sloek rongeng, Tew, Tiu

Synonyms

Ancistrolobus ligustrinus Spach; Cratoxylum biflorum Turczaninow f; Cratoxylum chinense Merrill; Cratoxylum ligustrinum (Spach) Blume; Cratoxylum petiolatum Blume; Cratoxylum polyanthum Korthals; Cratoxylum polyanthum Korthals var. ligustrinum (Spach) Dyer; Elodea chinensis Hance; Hypericum chinense Retzius 1789, non Linnaeus 1759; Hypericum cochinchinense Loureillo; Oxycarpus cochinchinensis Loureillo; Stalagmites erosipetala Miquel; and others