''Uvaria siamensis, '' locally called nom-maew ( th, นมแมว), is a plant in the family Annonaceae. ''Uvaria siamensis'' is a shrub or

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

native to

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and northern Peninsular Malaysia. It is related to the ylang-ylang. It requires little care and can even be kept in containers, blooming from spring until fall. Despite their plainness, the flowers of the genus ''Uvaria'' have a aroma that can travel very far. It is for this that Asian gardeners include it among their favorite garden plants. This plant can tolerate some shade; however, lack of sunlight adversely affects flowering.

Description

''Uvaria siamensis'' a perennial plant with a small trunk, and a height of 1–2 meters, darkly-coloured stalks and drooping branches. Their leaves are especially monocotyledonous, long, and sharp. A single one can bloom as group of 1–3 flowers, which are yellow-green in color, 1–2 cm large, very fragrant, and have 6 petals. The flowers bloom throughout the year.

Cultivation

This tree is a good container plant. It is relatively problem-free and requires little care. Even though the flowers are inconspicuous, a single flower has a quite strong and pleasant aroma, thus the plant has a high value and is often used in Asian gardens.

Properties

It is an essential ingredient in an Indonesian herbal concoction which includes, besides nom-maew, ginseng root and powdered corn. It has a pleasant taste and aroma, and claims to have a variety of benefits including: improving muscle one, expands circulation, reduces blood pressure, restores a regular heart rhythm, increases red blood cell count, reduces pain and fatigue, cleanses the body of toxic substances and stimulates intellectual activity.

Description

Cultivation

Properties

References

Further reading