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Wampi, Wampee

Scientific Name : Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels
Common Name : Wampi, Wampee
Chinese Name : 黃皮, 黃皮子, 黃皮果
Family : RUTACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origin Southeast China, Yunnan and Fujian. Wampee widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in Southern China, and is an indispensable cash crop.
Meanings of name Because of its golden skin and crystal clear flesh, it is called 'yellow skin'.
Vitality Wampee moderately acclimatises to multiple types of soil. A good planting, however, prefers well-drained and nutritious soils and should avert waterlogging and drought.
Application The fruits are juicy, sour and wholesome. Apart from peeling off the skins and eating the fruits fresh, they are also commonly processed into juice, jams and dried Wampee. The tree is exploited for versatile medical functions. the important source of traditional Chinese medicine. The leaves, known as Huangpiye, are a competent traditional Chinese medicine that is tasted bitter, pungent and neutral, and can be used for relieving heat and phlegm. The fruits are the primary source of Huangpiguo which is effective to disperse food and relieve phlegm. The fruits also contain profuse coumarins that can hinder oxidation by scavenging DPPH radicals and superoxide anions.

Traits for identification

Growing habit Evergreen small tree.
Height To 12 m.
Stems Bark smooth, with longitudinal crack, dark green or grey green. Branchlets hirsute, with fine glandular dots.
Leaves Imparipinnately compound alternate, leaflets 5-11 alternative. Blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, base broadly cuneate or subrounded, asymmetrical, undulate or coarsely crenate, leaf rachis densely pubescent, adaxially often glabrous. Scattered glandular dots on both surfaces, curry smelling when crushed.
Flower Large panicles terminal. Petals 5, white, pubescent. Stamens 10, which varying in length.
Fruit Berry, ellipsoid or broadly ovoid, with scattered oil spots at first, light to dark yellow.
Flowering period April to May in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period July to August in Hong Kong.
Overview of <em>Clausena lansium</em> (Lour.) Skeels.
Trunk of <em>Clausena lansium</em> (Lour.) Skeels.
Bark smooth, with longitudinal crack, dark green or grey green.
Imparipinnately compound alternate. Blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, base broadly cuneate or subrounded, asymmetrical, undulate or coarsely crenate, leaf rachis densely pubescent, adaxially often glabrous.
Large panicles terminal. Petals 5, white, pubescent.
Berry, ellipsoid or broadly ovoid, with scattered oil spots at first, light to dark yellow..
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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : 
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=2521

Scientific names from other databases 
― Flora of China : Clausena lansium (Loureiro) Skeels
— Plants of the World Online : Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels

Reference
  • Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0. 
  • eFloras. (2008). Clausena lansium (Loureiro) Skeels, Bull. Bur. Pl. Industr. U.S.D.A.  Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 24th February 2022, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012437 
  • Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels 黃皮. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 24th February 2022, from: https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=2521 
  • Ismail, A. A., Ahmad, B. A., Mohamed, A., Abdullah, R., Siddig, I. A., Mohamed, Y. I., L, and Alia, Z. (2012). A review of traditional uses, phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of selected members of Clausena genus (Rutaceae). Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(38), 5107–5118. 
  • Lim, T. K. (2012). Clausena lansium. Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, 871–883. 
  • Prasad, K. N., Xie, H., Hao, J., Yang, B., Qiu, S., Wei, X., Chen, F., and Jiang, Y. (2010). Antioxidant and anticancer activities of 8-hydroxypsoralen isolated from wampee [Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels] peel. Food Chemistry, 118(1), 62–66. 
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2017). Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels. Plant of the World Online. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 24th February 2022, from: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:772147-1 
  • School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University and Hong Kong Baptist University Library. (2007). Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels. Medicinal Plant Images Database. Retrieved 13rd July 2022, from: https://libproject.hkbu.edu.hk/was40/detail?channelid=1288&lang=en&record=1&searchword=(Clausena) 
  • 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels 黃皮〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2022年3月17日擷取自：https://www.iplant.cn/info/Clausena%20lansium?t=foc 
  • 歐陽卓立。（2018）。《香港觀賞樹木彙編3》。自然探索學會。國際標準書號：978-9-8815-4686-9。
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