Singapore Holly

Overview

Malpighia coccigera is native to West Indies. The plant is widely cultivated as an ornamental in tropical and subtropical gardens, being valued especially for its compact habit and holly-like leaves. There are three varieties of malpighia which are used as bonsai subjects. The name, Malpighia, is used to honor Marcello Malpighia (1628 1693). He was a distinguished naturalist at Bologna, Italy. It is has environmental uses, as a medicine and for food.

Vernacular Names

Kalta malpia (Bangladesh), Seeme nelli (Kannada-India), Man Tian Xin (Chinese).

Agroecology

Can be found in rocky slopes, thickets and scrub forests. Grown in moist, moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Soil tolerances: alkaline; clay; sand; acidic; loam. May appreciate some part shade in the heat of the day. Plants dislike temperatures below 12.7 °C. It is very tolerant of trimming. Gently trim away dry, brown, or yellowish leaves by using a pair of secateurs. Trimming allows available nutrients in the soil to be transferred into the new leaves which encourage intentional growth.

Morphology

• Stem - thin, green, typically multitrunked or clumping stems.
• Leaves - compact, prickly, holly-like leaves, small shiny-green with spiny-toothed edges, opposite short petioled, simple elliptic, pinnate venation, less than 5 cm long.
• Flower - trumpet-shaped, pink, white, has 5 petals, produced singly or in pairs from the leaf axils.
• Fruit - shiny smooth, ovoid red berries (drupes), fruit cover is fleshy, less than 12,7 cm long, inconspicuous and not showy.

Cultivation

• Generative propagation is by seed.
• Vegetative propagation is by cuttings (hard or soft wood cuttings or root cuttings).

Chemical Constituents

 Flavonoids, fatty acids, phenolic compunds.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Whole plant especially roots are boiled/decocted for at least 3 hours for general detoxification and remove toxins from liver.
• The formulation of leaves and extract from the plant, lowers elevated blood levels, promotes cytotoxic activity on liver cancer cells, but not on normal liver cells, restores liver lesions and cirrhotic tissue into normal “healthy” liver cells.
• Leaf paste is applied to treat boils.