四叶萝芙木 si ye luo fu mu

Shrubs to 2 m tall, pubescent or tomentose when young, glabrescent with age. Leaves in whorls of 3-5; petiole 2-5 mm; leaf blade ovate, narrowly ovate, or oblong, 1-15 X 0.8-4 cm, membranous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex acute or obtuse; lateral veins 5-12 pairs. Peduncle 1-4 cm. Corolla white, tube urceolate, 2-3 mm, long hairy inside distal half; lobes ovate or suborbicular. Stamens inserted at corolla throat. Ovaries connate. Drupes subglobose, 5-10 mm in diam., glabrous, connate. Seeds 2. Fl. May, fr. Jun-Aug. 2n = 66.

S Guangdong, SW Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, S Yunnan [native to tropical America].

Cultivated for medicine.

The latex has been reported to be emetic, cathartic, and expectorant and is used for treating dropsy. The fruit juice is used as a substitute for ink.