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12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3

Cnesmone javanica Blume

Bijdr. fl. Ned. Ind.: 630 (1826; 'Cnesmosa javanica').

EUPHORBIACEAE

2n = unknown

Indonesia: pulus areng, pulus jalantong (Sundanese). Malaysia: jelatang badak, jelatang gajah, jelatang rusa (Peninsular). Thailand: karangtang kwaang (peninsular), tamyae khruea (Saraburi), raachaa se-khue (Karen, Kanchanaburi). Vietnam: h[oof] ly, d[aa]y b[oj] n[ej]t.

Cnesmone javanica is distributed in eastern India (Assam), Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo.

There is one report from Peninsular Malaysia, stating that the juice of Cnesmone javanica is mixed with the latex of Antiaris toxicaria Lesch. to produce a dart poison. In Thailand, it is an ingredient of a compound drug used as an anti-inflammatory.

A monoecious slender, herbaceous or slightly woody climber, with stinging hairs. Leaves alternate, distichous, simple, oblong or ovate-cordate, 6—22 cm x 3—13 cm, cordate at base, margin with acuminate teeth, on both sides with patent hairs and scattered bristles, 3-veined from the base; petiole 1.5—11 cm long; stipules oblong, up to 1 cm long, persistent. Inflorescence an axillary or leaf-opposed, bracteate raceme up to 11 cm long, on a peduncle up to 13 cm long, at base with 1 or 2 female flowers, upwards with many male flowers. Flowers unisexual, with 3-lobed perianth (petals absent) up to 1 cm long; male flowers with 3 stamens alternating with the perianth lobes, filaments thick, widened towards the apex, connective broad, with incurved appendage; female flowers with superior, depressed, 3-celled ovary, styles 3, shortly connate, fleshy, strongly papillose, persistent. Fruit a (2—)3-lobed capsule c. 1.5 cm in diameter, seated on the calyx, velutinous and hispid, each cell 1-seeded. Seeds globose, with a fleshy outer layer.
Cnesmone javanica can be found flowering and fruiting throughout the year.
Cnesmone comprises about 10 species, and occurs from eastern India and southern China to western Malesia. It belongs to the tribe Plukenetieae and is related to Megistostigma. Blume published the genus as Cnesmosa in 1826, but 2 years later he corrected the name into Cnesmone.

Cnesmone javanica occurs in evergreen forest, often in open locations, bamboo forest, brushwood and young forest, in Java up to 300 m altitude, in Thailand up to 500 m. It is common in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia.

Cnesmone javanica is widely distributed, locally common, and often occurs in disturbed habitats. It is therefore unlikely to be at risk of genetic erosion, although it appears to be more rare in some regions, e.g. Sumatra and Borneo.

There is hardly any information on the uses and no information at all on the properties of Cnesmone javanica. It seems unlikely that it will become more important in the future.

[62]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
[121]Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co- operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I— Z) pp. 1241—2444.

[19]Airy Shaw, H.K., 1972. The Euphorbiaceae of Siam. Kew Bulletin 26: 191—363.
[20]Airy Shaw, H.K., 1975. The Euphorbiaceae of Borneo. Kew Bulletin Additional Series IV. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, United Kingdom. 245 pp.
[22]Airy Shaw, H.K., 1981. The Euphorbiaceae of Sumatra. Kew Bulletin 36: 239— 374.
[23]Airy Shaw, H.K., 1982. The Euphorbiaceae of Central Malesia (Celebes, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Is.). Kew Bulletin 37: 1—40.
[990]Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972—1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd Edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Raharni

Raharni, 2003. Cnesmone javanica Blume. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea