Deeringia amaranthoides Merr.

Scandent or clambering shrub, often with long, pendulous branches, 2-6 m (to up to 15m?) high; stem in the higher part obtusangular and finely appressed pubescent, at an advanced age terete and glabrous. Leaves ovate or ovate oblong-sublan-ceolate, base acute, obtuse, rounded or subtruncate, often unequal, frequently shortly contracted into the petiole, tapering towards the apex or acuminate, acute, crowned by a longish, often caducous mucro, at first on both surfaces very thinly patently pilose, glabrescent, 4—15 by 2-8 cm (floral leaves often much smaller); midrib in the living plant distinctly prominent beneath; petiole 1-6cm. Flowers racemed; racemes axillary and terminal, very often divaricately branched, 5-35 cm (0-8 cm peduncle included), rather dense or in lower part lax, often more than 50-flowered; highest racemes usually collected in a terminal panicle of 15-75 cm long; rachises of inflorescence finely and not very densely appressed pubescent; bracts narrowly triangular, very acute, +-1½ mm; bracteoles ovate, acute, ± 1 mm. Flowers solitary or clustered, malodorous. Pedicels ⅔-2 mm. Tepals during an-thesis widely patent or reflexed, under the fruit reflexed as are the stamens, obtuse or rounded, concave, pale green or somewhat yellowish, white-margined, often, especially under the fruit, tinged with red, 1½-2½ mm long. Staminal cup ¼-⅓ mm; free parts of the filaments several times longer than the cup, for the rest variable as to length, 1½-2¾ mm. Stigmas 3, greenish white, 1-1½ mm, recurved on the fruit. Berry globose-obovoid, bright red, 4-7 mm diam. Seeds 0-9, usually no more than 5, circular with emarginate base, 1-1⅓ mm diam., almost smooth.

A tropical plant. It occurs in the Sepik, Madang, Morobe and Central Provinces in Papua New Guinea. It is often near forest edges near creeks in the rainforest. It occurs up to 1200 m altitude. This plant is also used as food in Fiji, Indonesia and Taiwan. It needs a well drained humus rich soil. It needs a sheltered position and partial shade. It is drought and frost tender.

Uses. The natives press the root in diluted vinegar and add a piece of onion (Dutch: ajuin; BURKILL ( Burkill Dict. 1 1935 775 ) mistranslated alum = aluin). The juice so obtained is sniffed up; it looses the mucus and cures the head-ache caused by obstruction of the nasal cavities. The leaves are applied to sores; young cooked sprouts are eaten with rice.

It grows wild. Plants are grown from seed. The seed need to be sown fresh. Plants can also be easily grown from cuttings.