Scientific Name : Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms
Common Name : Chinese Alangium, China Alangium
Chinese Name : 八角楓
Family : ALANGIACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species
| Origin | The tree has a broad range of distribution from Cameroon to Southeast Ethiopia and South Tropical Africa, and Subtropical Asia. |
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| Meanings of name | The specific epithet chinense means Chinese in Latin, referring to its native distribution in China. Since the blades of its saplings are sometimes octagonal, it is also named as '八角楓'. |
| Application |
Chinese Alangium is valued for its versatile medicinal functions. Its roots, leaves and flowers are the major sources of traditional Chinese medicines for promoting health. The roots contain venoterpine and dl-anabasine that can activate meridians and soothe sinew. The leaves are an excellent source of β-sitosterol and β-amyrin acetate which can relieve swelling and pain. Notably, despite of its great medicinal effects, it is poisonous and lethal when over-consumed. A Chinese man died from an overdose of the roots of Chinese Alangium. Chinese Alangium’s wood is demanded for making boxes, chairs, and wardrobes. Its bark fibres are stiff enough for ropes. |
| Growing habit | Deciduous small tree or shrub. |
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| Height | 3 to 5 m, up to 15 m. |
| Stems | Bark brown, smooth, lenticellate. Branchlets slightly zigzagged, pubescent when young, soon glabrescent. |
| Leaves | Petioles reddish, puberulous. Simple leaves alternate, distichous. Blade papery, suborbicular, elliptic or ovate, base subcordate, or usually oblique, with one side rounded and another side cuneate, apex acuminate, margin entire, 3-5 palmately veined, abaxially tufted pubescent at the junction of veins. |
| Flowers | Cymes axillary, many-flowered. Petals 6-8, turning from white to yellow later. Stamens 6-8, arranged in whorls, as longer than petals. |
| Fruits | Drupes ovoid, turning from green to black at maturity. |
| Flowering period | May to July in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | July to November in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3369
Scientific names from other databases :
― Flora of China : Alangium chinense (Loureiro) Harms.
― Plant of the World Online : Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms.