Breynia vitisidaea (Burm. f. ) C. Fischer (EUPHORBHIACEAE)
Common names
Kannada: Kaadu nugge.
Tulu: Palli soppu.
Description: Small glabrous monoecious shrubs; branches distichous, horizontal. Leaves alternate, elliptic to broadly ovate, 3-5 x 1.5 – 2.5 cm, rounded or sub-acute at base, obtuse or sub-acute at apex, pale beneath, drying black; petiole up to 3-5 mm; stipules minute. Male flowers solitary; pedicels 1-3 mm long. The perianth lobes in female flowers are sharp-pointed, enduring, and do not increase in size in the fruits. The styles are very brief. The fruit is spherical, reaching sizes of up to 5 millimeters in diameter, remains closed, and turns orange-red upon ripening.
Flowering: June
Fruiting: September
Distribution: India to Malaysia and China.
Uses: Leaves applied as poultice to hasten suppuration; leaf juice given after parturition to prevent haemorrhage; dried leaves smoked like tobacco for relief in tonsilitis; astringent bark used to guard against haemorrhage.