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Volkameria inermis

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Volkameria inermis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Volkameria
Species:
V. inermis
Binomial name
Volkameria inermis
Synonyms[1]

Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn. Ovieda inermis (L.) Burm.f.

Volkameria inermis, the glory bower, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Volkameria of the family Lamiaceae, found in mangrove shores and coastal forests of Australia, Asia, Malesia and the Pacific islands.[1][2] It is also naturalised in Tunisia, north of Africa.[3]

Botany

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The tree is a shrub 1–4 metres, but it can grow into a tree with a height up to 10 m. It has woody, smooth stems. Its leaves are arranged alternately, each blade is elliptical with a length of 1.5–4 centimetres with a smooth surface and dark green on its underside.[2][3]

The flower is trumpet-shaped with white petals 1.5–4 cm long and long reddish or purple stamens. It grows in clusters each made of 3 to 7 of them joined at the base. Its fruit is round or egg-shaped with a length of 1 cm, it turns from green to black when ripe. When the fruit is dried up, it breaks into 4 lobes with thick corky walls. The tree flowers and bears fruit around the same time from July to December, the fruit ripen in March.[2][3]

Uses

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Its parts has many medical properties. The seeds and roots are used to treat venom from bitten by some fish and other marine animals.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Volkameria inermis L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Tan, Ria (19 January 2022). "Gambir laut or Wild jasmine (Clerodendrum inerme)". WildSingapore. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c El Mokni, R.; Kasri, M.; El Aouni, M. H. (2013). "Volkameria inermis (Lamiaceae) a new alien species naturalized to the Tunisian coast, first record for North-Africa" (PDF). Flora Mediterranea (23): 117–122.