Planchonia careya

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Planchonia careya

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Description

Deciduous trees, 3-15 m high. Bark up to 1 cm thick, suberose, scaly, deeply fissured, greyish brown; Branchlets terete, striate, lenticellate, grey or brownish grey (dry), cylindrical, 2-5 mm thick; Leaves: Inflorescences racemes, few-flowered; Petals obovate-oblong, 20(-30) by c. 17 mm, papyraceous, base tapering, not ciliate, apex obtuse, white, pink at the base, greenish on the back. Stamens 3-5 cm long; Fruits obovoid to ellipsoid, smooth, up to 7.5 cm (including calyx lobes) by 3 cm, with thick, fibrous pericarp. Seeds many, compressed-oval, c. 5 mm long, seedcoat brown to silvery brown, c. 0.3 mm thick;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present), Northern Territories present
Australia (Northern Territories and Queensland); in Malesia: New Guinea.

Uses

The wood is easy to work but liable to crack unless very carefully seasoned. The fruits and seeds are eaten by the natives. The bark is used by the ab­origines for stupefying fish. The pulped leaves are considered a sure and safe cure for ulcers. Pulverized leaves are supplied as fermentations. The plant is suspected of causing death in cattle characterised by posterior paralysis and death in several days. Leaves of P. careya have been traditionally used in the treatment of wounds by the indigenous people of northern Australia, although the compounds responsible for the medicinal properties have not been identified. The isolation of six antibacterial compounds from the leaves of P. careya validates the use of this species as a topical wound-healing remedy ().

Citation

Kuswata 1965: p. 181. – In: Bull. Bot. Surv. India: f. 10, 12
F.M.Bailey 1949 – In: Bulletin (CSIRO): 27
F.M.Bailey 1922 – In: Bot. Jahrb. Syst.: 344
Erdtman 1952: Pollen Morph. Pl. Taxon: 222: f. 133
C.T.White 1920 – In: Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales: 824
L.J.Webb 1948 – In: Bulletin (CSIRO): 72
F.M.Bailey 1890: Compr. Cat. Queensland Pl.: 19
Maiden 1889: Usef. Nat. Pl. Australia: 161
Lauterb. 1910 – In: Nova Guinea: 313
S.T.Blake 1954 – In: Austral. J. Bot.: 105
Greshoff 1893 – In: Meded. Lands P1antentuin: 87
Maiden 1889 – In: Usef. Nat. Pl. Australia: 619
F.M.Bailey 1900 – In: Queensl. Fl.: 667
R.L.Barrett 2006 – In: Austral. Syst. Bot.: 148
Ewart & O.B.Davies 1917: Fl. N. Territory: 198
Ten.-Woods 1882 – In: Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales: 81
Maiden 1889: Usef. Nat. Pl. Australia: 13
F.M.Bailey 1913: Compr. Cat. Queensland Pl: 209: f. 184