Botanical Name : Glochidion puberum
Family :Euphorbiaceae/Phyllanthaceae subfamily: Phyllanthoideae tribe: Phyllantheae. Also placed in: Euphorbiaceae
Synonyms: Agyneia pubera L. (basionym)
Genus : Glochidion
Habitat : E. Asia – southern and western China. Montane slopes, stream banks scrub or forest edges at elevations of 300 – -2200 metres.Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Slopes, scrub on stream banks, forest margins; 300-2200 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan].
Description: A decidious Perennial Shrub growing to 3m.
Erect shrubs 1-5 m tall, monoecious, much branched; branchlets gray-brown, densely pubescent. Stipules triangular, ca. 1 mm; petiole 1-3 mm; leaf blade oblong, oblong-ovate, or obovate-oblong, rarely lanceolate, 3-8 × 1-2.5 cm, papery or subleathery, gray-green and midvein sparsely pubescent or glabrescent adaxially, greenish and densely pubescent abaxially, base cuneate to obtuse, apex obtuse, acute, shortly acuminate, or rounded; lateral veins 4-8 pairs, elevated abaxially, reticulate nerves prominent. Flowers in axillary clusters, 2-5-flowered, proximal axils mostly to all male flowers, distal axils mostly to all female flowers. Male flowers: pedicels 4-15 mm; sepals 6, narrowly oblong or oblong-obovate, 2.5-3.5 mm, spreading, green to yellowish, densely pubescent outside; stamens 3, connate into a cylindric column. Female flowers: pedicels ca. 1 mm; sepals 6, as in male, but shorter and thicker, green; ovary globose, densely pubescent, 5-10-locular; ovules 2 per locule; style column annular, shortly lobed in summit. Capsules depressed-globose, 8-15 mm in diam., 8-10-grooved, densely pubescent, reddish when mature, apex with persistent annular styles. Seeds subreniform, 3-angled, ca. 4 mm, red. Fl. Apr-Aug, fr. Jul-Nov.
click to see the pictures
It is hardy to zone 0. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant)
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
Cultivation:-
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. However, judging by its native range, it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. It is likely to require a sheltered sunny position with some protection from winter cold.
Propagation:-
Seed – we have no information for this species but recommend sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse, preferably as soon as ripe if this is possible. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year. Plant out in early summer after the last expected frosts and consider giving the plant some protection from the frost during at least its first winter outdoors.
Medicinal Actions & Uses:-
Depurative; Febrifuge.
Febrifuge, depurative. Dispels clots. All parts of the plant are used as medicine for the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, rupture, cough, etc.
Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Other Uses
Oil.
The seeds contain up to 20 per cent of oil, which is used in making soap and as a lubricating oil.
Resource :
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Glochidion+puberum
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?403683
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GLPU6
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=620&taxon_id=200012580