1369

                                         Ardisia solanacea  (Poir.) Roxb.

Family	:	Primulaceae
Local name	:	English- Shoebuttonardisia
Distribution	:	South-east Asia and West China.
Habitat	:	Understory of evergreen to semi-evergreen forests
Endemic/Exotic	:	Endemic
Uses	:	Leaves and roped fruits are edible. The juice of the root is used to relieve indigestion. A yellow dye is obtained from the fruit. The pinkish fruit provides a yellow dye, which becomes brown on paper.
Key botanical characters:  Trees grows to 6 m high; bark is brown, smooth. Leaves are simple, alternate, estipulate; petiole to 10 mm long, stout, glabrous; lamina 10-18 x 4-6 cm, obovate, elliptic-obovate or oblanceolate, base cuneate, apex acuminate or acute, margin entire or obscurely crenate, glabrous, glaucous beneath, coriaceous, gland-dotted; lateral nerves 9-20 pairs, parallel, slender, obscure, secondary laterals faint, intercostae obscure. Flowers are bisexual, 1.3 cm across, bright pink in colour. Inflorescence is axillary or lateral umbels; peduncle 5-(12) cm long; bracts 1.5-2 mm long, concave, deciduous; calyx lobes 5, 3 x 1.5 mm, concave, ovate, obtuse, ciliate, persistent, leathery, twisted to right; corolla 2.5 cm across; lobes 5, twisted to right, in bud, 10 x 7 mm, ovate, coriaceous, punctate. Stamens is 5 in number, connivent around style, exserted; filaments short; anthers sagitate, 7 mm. Ovary superior, globose 3 x 2 mm, 1-celled, ovules many; style elongate, as long as the corolla lobes; stigma terminal. Fruit is berry 8 mm across, globose, bright red