Bridelia stipularis (L.) Blume

The roots are used as medicine for reducing inflammation and as an astringent antidiarrheal; the fruits are used to induce vomiting and as an antitoxic.

Woody climbers or scandent shrubs, branches up to 15(-20) m, rarely small trees; branchlets usually markedly softly rufous tomentose or fulvous pubescent except for glabrous older branches, petals, ovary, and drupes. Stipules ovate-triangular, 3-9 × 2-4 mm, apex long acuminate, usually caducous; petiole 6-13 mm; leaf blade elliptic, obovate, or rotund, 4-17 × 2-11 cm, subleathery, base obtuse to rounded, apex acute or obtuse, rarely retuse; lateral veins 10-14 pairs. Inflorescences axillary, usually 2-6-flowered, sometimes grouped into many-flowered spikes or on terminal small-leaved branches. Male flowers 0.6-1 cm in diam.; pedicels very short, up to 1 mm; receptacle cup-shaped; sepals ovate-triangular, ca. 4 × 2.5 mm; petals spatulate, ca. 2 mm, 3-5-dentate; disk shallowly cup-shaped, 5-6 mm in diam.; staminal column ca. 2 mm; free filaments ca. 1.5 mm; anthers ovoid, ca. 1 × 0.5 mm; rudimentary ovary terete, apex bipartite. Female flowers up to 12 mm in diam.; pedicels short and stout; receptacle nearly funnel-shaped; sepals ovate-triangular, ca. 4 × 2-3 mm; petals rhombic-spatulate, entire or shallowly bifid at apex; disk urceolate to lacerate when ovary expands, ca. 1.5 mm, hairy inside; ovary ovoid, 2-3 mm; styles 2, apex bifid, lobes linear. Drupes ovoid, 0.7-1.3 × 0.6-1.1 cm, bilocular. Seeds semiovoid, 6-8 × 3-6 mm, yellow to brown, smooth, adaxial surface flattened or slightly concave, abaxial surface slightly convex. Fl. and fr. almost throughout year.

Nepal, N. India, Sikkim, Burma, S. W. China (Yunnan), Indo-China, W. Malaysia.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor, Vietnam].

150-200 m

Primary or secondary forests or riverside scrub; 100-1500 m.

Clutia stipularis Linnaeus, Mant. Pl. 1: 127. 1767; Bridelia scandens (Roxburgh) Willdenow; Clutia scandens Roxburgh.

Bridelia stipularis is a perennial evergreen climber grows over hedges and bushes and sometimes on bigger trees. It is native to Southeast Asia, southern China, and the Indian subcontinent. Used as medicines in Malaysia and the Philippines. Bridelia stipularis, as other Bridelia species, used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita malabaricus.