''Stixis obtusifolia'' is a shrub or

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, 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 (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

in the

Resedaceae Resedaceae is a family of mostly herbaceous dicotyledonous plants comprising 107 known species in 8 to 12 genera. 11 genera are currently accepted:

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

. It is found in parts of Southeast Asia. The wood is used as fuel, the leaves as a tea.

Description

This species grows as a deciduous shrub or liana. It has silvery stems and branches. Leaves are simple, the adult leaves are glabrous, though occasionally with a few hairs on the nerves. The gynophore is shorter than 5mm and hairy, the ovary is glabrous. Flowering occurs from November to March, fruiting from January to April.

Distribution

This Southeast Asian species grows in the following countries: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

Habitat, ecology

The plant grows in degraded formations. In the vegetation communities alongside the Mekong in Kratie and Steung Treng Provinces, Cambodia, this taxa is rare in the degraded areas of the riverine community. It grows on soils derived from metamorphic sandstone bedrock, at 20-25m altitude.

Vernacular names

''Aw krâpë'' (''av kraboe'', ''ao krâpoeu'') (''aw''="skin", ''krâpë''="crocodile", Khmer) is a name used in Cambodia.

Uses

The wood furnishes firewood. The leaves can give a tea-like drink

History

Henri Ernest Baillon Henri Ernest Baillon (; 30 November 1827 in Calais – 19 July 1895 in Paris) was a French botanist and physician. Baillon spent his academic career teaching natural history and publishing numerous works on botany. He was appointed to the Lé ...

(1827–95), a French botanist and physician, described the species in 1887 in the journal ''Bulletin Mensuel de la Société Linnéenne de Paris'' (Paris).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17242173 obtusifolia Flora of Cambodia Flora of Laos Flora of Thailand Flora of Myanmar Flora of Indo-China Plants described in 1887 Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon