Pogostemon cablin

Content

Description

Erect, aromatic, branched herb, 0.5-1 m. Leaves thin- or thick-membranaceous, narrowly ovate or ovate, 5-10 (-14) by 3.5-6.5(-10) cm, with short appressed hairs;

Distribution

Alor present, Asia-Tropical: Jawa (Jawa present ‒ present); Lesser Sunda Is. (Bali present); Malaya present; New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present), Ceylon present, Continental SE. Asia present, Flores present, Lesser Sunda Is present, Leyte present, Luzon present present, Morobe Distr present, N. Sumatra present, Sumba present, Sumbawa present, Timor present

Ceylon and continental SE. Asia; in Malesia: N. Sumatra, Malaya, Java, Lesser Sunda Is. (Bali, Sumba, Sumbawa, Alor, Flores, Timor), Celebes, Philippines (Luzon, Leyte), and New Guinea (Morobe Distr. NGF 27934). Also cultivated and occasionally escaped from cultivation, which makes it difficult to decide in which areas it is really native in Malesia. Only in Luzon it is found in forest and may be native. In Java it is never found in the flowering state.

Uses

The leaves are widely extracted for the well-known patchouli oil of commerce, not to be confused with that extracted from Microtoena insuavis (Khasya patchouli), from Pogostemon heyneanus (Indian patchouli), and that of Pogoste-mon hortensis. Patchouli oil is used in perfumes and cosmetics. According to QUISUMBING (l.c. 830) the crushed leaves are often used for hair-washing in the Philippines. Furthermore, the leaves and innovations are employed as an insecticide against cockroaches, moths, etc., and as a repellent for leeches, and they are also added to baths for their presumed antirheumatic quality. An infusion of fresh leaves is taken internally to allay painful menstruation.

Citation

STAPF 1923 – In: En. Philip.: 414

THISELTON-DYER 1888: Kew Bull.: 71

Koord. 1912 – In: Exk. Fl. Java: 152

PARHAM 1964: Pl. Fiji: 255

BTH. 1912: Fl. Manila: 411

Merr. 1912 – In: Philip. J. Sc.: Bot. 345

VIDAL 1886: Rev. Pl. Vasc. Filip.: 213

Merr. 1912 – In: Philip. J. Sc.: Bot. 347

BTH. 1917: Int. Rumph.: 458

KENG 1969 – In: Gard. Bull. Sing.: 154

TROMP DE HAAS 1904 – In: Teysmannia: 475

Merr. 1935 – In: Trans. Am. Phil. Soc.: 341

F.-VILL. 1880: Nov. App.: 164

Ridl. 1893 – In: Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond.: 336

KENG 1969 – In: Gard. Bull. Sing.: 153

BTH. 1848 – In: DC., Prod. 12: 153

BTH. 1923 – In: En. Philip.: 414

PURSE-GLOVE 1968 – In: Trop. Crops: 636

BACK. & BAKH. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 633

HASSK. 1844: Cat. Hort. Bog.: 310

Koord. 1912 – In: Exk. Fl. Java: 151

Hook.f. 1885 – In: Fl. Br. Ind.: 634

Ridl. 1923 – In: Fl. Mal. Pen.: 647

BLANCO 1878 – In: Fl. Filip., ed. 3: 245

HOOK. 1849: p. 328. – In: Kew J. Bot.: t. 11

Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 962

PRAIN 1907 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng.: 708

BTH. 1918: Sp. Blanc.: 337

BACK. & BAKH.f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 632, 657

Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 964

F.-VILL. 1880: Nov. App.: 164

Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 962

BTH. 1908: Kew Bull.: 78

BURK. 1935: Dict.: 1782

QUIS. 1951: Med. Pl. Philip.: 829