''Premna serratifolia'' is a small tree/

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

. It flowers and fruits between May and November.Described by Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi in India biodiversity portal http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/230814 During flowering season, it attracts a large number of butterflies and bees. Synonyms of ''Premna serratifolia'' Linn. include ''P. corymbosa'' (Burm. f.) Merr., ''P. integrifolia'' L. and ''P. obtusifolia'' R. Br.).

Habitat

It mostly grow in moist sandy soil and scrub jungles along seacoasts and

mangrove forest Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fr ...

s. In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, particularly in

Cebu Island Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

, it is usually found in the interior, watery forests of Southern Cebu.

Description

Trees, to 7 m high. Leaves simple, opposite, estipulate; petiole 4–14 mm, slender, pubescent, grooved above; lamina 2.5-8.5 x 2–7.2 cm, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, base acute, obtuse, subcordate or rounded, apex acuminate, mucronate, obtuse, margin entire or subserrate, glabrous above except along the appressed midrib, chartaceous; lateral nerves 3-5 pair, pinnate, prominent, puberulous beneath; intercostae reticulate, obscure. Flowers bisexual, greenish-white, in terminal corymbose panicled cymes; bracts small; calyx small campanulate, 2 lipped, 5 lobed; corolla tube short, villous inside, lobes 5; stamens 4, didynamous, inserted below the throat of the corolla tube; anther ovate; ovary superior, 2-4-celled, ovules 4; style linear; stigma shortly bifid. Fruit a drupe, seated on the calyx, globose, purple; seeds oblong.

Medicinal uses

The plant is extensively used in Indian traditional medicine. Studies on the root wood of ''P. serattifolia'' led to the isolation of acteoside, a glucoside derivative. The root bark of the plant which showed biological activities have also shown to contain a potent cytotoxic and antioxidant

diterpene Diterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being ...

, 11,12,16-trihydroxy-2-oxo-5-methyl-10-demethyl-abieta-1 06, 8,11,13-pentene.Habtemariam, S., Varghese, G.K. (2015). A Novel Diterpene Skeleton: Identification of a highly aromatic, cytotoxic and antioxidant 5-methyl-10-demethyl-abietane-typediterpene from ''Premna serratifolia'' ''Phytotherapy Research'' 29(1)'','' 80-85.

Culinary uses

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, the aromatic leaves of ''P. serratifolia'' are called , and are used to cook in some braise or stir fry dishes with chicken, eels or frogs.

Habitat

Description

Medicinal uses

Culinary uses

References

Further reading