Mitragyna speciosa Korth.

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Mitragyna

Characteristics

A tree. It grows 8-15 m tall. It can be 25 m tall. The bark is grey and smooth. The leaves are papery. They are oval with a rounded or heart shaped base. They are 3-20 cm long by 2-12 cm wide. There are 11-17 pairs of secondary veins.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 14.0 - 17.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Open savannah and secondary forest, at low elevations. In Borneo, it is usually encountered in swamp and riverine forests which are periodically flooded, where it is one of the dominant species colonizing vegetation on old ox-bow riverbeds.
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A tropical plant. It grows in secondary forest along rivers.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The very bitter leaves are eaten as a vegetable. They are claimed to be a substitute for opium and poisonous in large doses. CAUTION: The plant contains an alkaloid.
Uses material medicinal poison social use wood
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Delirium (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Fumitory (unspecified), Masticatory (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Splenomegaly (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Wound (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Mitragyna speciosa unspecified picture

Distribution

Mitragyna speciosa world distribution map, present in Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Mitragyna speciosa threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:756303-1
WFO ID wfo-0000244943
COL ID 8WY8G
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Mitragyna speciosa Nauclea luzoniensis Nauclea korthalsii Nauclea speciosa Stephegyne speciosa