Adenia cordifolia

Appearance

Liana to 20(-50?) m. Leaves herbaceous to subcoriaceous, pale to glaucous green beneath, entire, broadly ovate to oblong, top obtuse to acute, up to 1 cm acuminate, base rounded to deeply cordate, 2½-10(-11) by 1½-6(-9) cm, 3-5-plinerved and with 2-10 pairs of lesser nerves from the midrib, arching towards the top; Inflorescences peduncled up to 5½ cm, in ♂ up to 60-flowered, in ♀ 3-5-flowered, tendrils 0-3, ½-2½ cm. Fruit 1-2, ellipsoid-oblong, fusiform, ± 3-angular, top acute, up to 1 cm acuminate, excluding the 5-10(-15) mm long gynophore (4½-)5-8(-9) by 1½-3½ cm; Seeds 10-30, orbicular to reniform, 7-8½ by 8-10 by 4-4½ mm, pitted.

Naming

Synonyms
Adenia obtusa (Blume) Engl. (1891), Adenia populifolia auct. non (Blume) Engl.

Vernacular names
Indonesia: areuy babalingbingan, areuy calingcing (Sundanese), layang-layang (Kedayan)
Malaysia: akar kail, akar kelipunang (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, western Java, Borneo and the Philippines (Palawan).

Habitat

A. cordifolia occurs both in scrub and forest vegetation, also in peat swamp forest, up to 1200 m altitude. Juvenile forms are often found creeping on open places, on tree trunks and rocks, and are provided with typical lobed or lunate leaves with more or less peltate blade-base; A. vespertilio is a juvenile from with lunate leaves.

Uses

The roots and fruits are known as poisonous; leaves and stems have medicinal properties.
The stem juice is used in an eyewash in Sumatra to treat conjunctivitis. In Malaysia the leaves have been used for fumigating children suffering from convulsions. The stems are used for binding purposes under water.