Morinda persicifolia

Morinda persicifolia Buch.-Ham., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 13(2): 535 (1822).

Morinda persicifolia Buch.-Ham., Photo by Quang Trung

its native range is Bangladesh to China (S. Yunnan) and W. Malesia.

Latin name:

Morinda persicifolia Buch.-Ham.

Family:

Rubiaceae Juss.

Synonyms:

Morinda lanceolata Wall.

Morinda persicifolia var. sublinearis Kuntze

Vietnamese name:

Nhàu nước, Cây ruột gà. 

Chinese  name:

短梗木巴戟 - duan geng mu ba ji

Describtion:

Shrubs or small trees, to 11 m tall; branches quadrangular, pubescent or glabrous. Leaves opposite or solitary opposite an inflorescence; petiole 1-2 cm; blade drying papery, adaxially gray, abaxially pale green, oblong-lanceolate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, 6-18 × 2-12 cm, glabrous or sparsely pilosulous, base acute to attenuate, apex acute or shortly acuminate; secondary veins 7-10 pairs; stipules interpetiolar, triangular to broadly triangular, acute to subulate acuminate. Inflorescence solitary and leaf-opposed; peduncle 1, 1-3 mm; head 1, many flowered; bracteoles subulate. Flower biology not noted. Calyx limb truncate. Corolla white, salverform; tube ca. 16 mm, somewhat curved, inside glabrous; lobes 5, ca. 4 mm. Drupecetum mulberry-shaped or conical-oblong, 2-2.5 × 1.5-2 cm.

Fruit and Flowering:

Summer-autumn

Distribution: 

Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam.

In Vietnam, noni is found only in the provinces of the Southern Delta

Ecology:

Often grows scattered or in clusters along the banks of canals, ponds, fields or roadsides. Light-loving plants, can withstand waterlogging, because when growing on the banks of canals, all the roots and roots are already in the wetland environment.

Chemical and Pharmacology:

Noni root contains morindin, a derivative of trihydroxyanthraqumnon, and two other anthraquinone derivatives with boiling points of 222° and 270°, respectively.

Cultivation

Uses:

Cure rheumatism, back pain, aching limbs and high blood pressure, dysentery (whole tree).. 

Typus:

Wallich, N. [8435], India K000031582 Unknown type material

References:

https://www.ipni.org/n/756451-1

http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:756451-1

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=250096535