Sea rubber vine, Harpoon bud
Gymnanthera oblonga

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A small vine with milky sap. It can be a climber. It grows 3-6 m high. It has milky sap. The stems can be 4 cm across. Leaves are in pairs opposite each other. They are smooth and vary in shape. Often they are oblong 4.5-13 cm long by 1.2-6 cm wide. They are dark green on top and paler underneath and with a pointed tip. There are about 6-13 veins on each side of the midrib. The leaf stalk is 2 cm long. The flowers are green or cream and have a scent. They form tubes with star like petals. The flowers are 1.5-2 cm across. The fruit is a green capsule and with green ridges along it. Inside the fruit is composed of small green leafy type coverings. The fruit are about 8.5 cm long by 0.5 cm wide. There are many seeds. The seeds have feathery wings.

There are 2-5 Gymnanthera species. Probably now in the Apocynaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. Grows in the Nipa zone along the coast. It grows above the beach on dunes. It is often near streams and on the edges of swamps. It grows near sea level in the mangroves.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The young fruit are cooked and eaten but ripe fruit are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

It grows wild. It can be grown from seed or cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Hai dao teng, Karrkarr

Synonyms

Dicerolepis paludosa Blume; Gymnanthera nitida R. Brown; Gymnanthera paludosa (Blume) K. Schumann; Jasminum oblongum N. L. Burman; Parechites bowringii Hance; Trachelospermum bowringii (Hance) Hemsley;