Fukien tea

Overview

Fukien tea is a tropical shrub originating in the Fujian province of China and other parts of Southeast Asia. It has also become a popular ornamental plant cultivated as hedges in lowland areas. This plant is very popular for bonsai in China, but not in Japan.

Vernacular Names

Tsaang gubat (Philippines), Ji ji shu (Chinese), Kujipana (India), Bute (Kannada), Khoi cheen (Thailand), Kim li[ee]n (Vietnamese).

Agroecology

This plant can grow in tropical or sub-tropical regions. It prefers full sunlight to partial shade, with moderate water. In the Indian tropical moist deciduous forest, Fukien tea grows in red sandy soils with temperatures 23-25 °C, and rainfalls of 2,000-2,400 mm.

Morphology

• Stem - erect, very branched.
• Leaves - in clusters on short branches, obovate to oblong-obovate, 3 to 6 cm long, entire or somewhat toothed or lobed near the apex and pointed at the base, short stalked and rough on the upper surface.
• Flowers - white, small, axillary, solitary, 2 or 4 on a common stalk, borne in inflorescences shorter than the leaves. Calyx lobes are green, somewhat hairy, and linear, about 5 to 6 mm long. Corolla is white, 5 mm long, and divided into oblong lobes.
• Fruits - is a drupe, rounded, yellow when ripe, 4 to 5 mm in diameter, fleshy, with a 4-seeded stone, fleshy on the outer part, and stony inside.

Cultivation

• Propagated generatively by seeds
• Propagated vegetatively by cuttings. Preferably of top shoots or young leafy shoots. The roots will develop slowly over a period of 1-2 months.

Chemical Constituents

Alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins, triterpenes (α-amyrin, ß-amyrin, and baurenol).

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Its reported pharmacological activities include analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antispasmodic and anti-mutagenic.