Homalomena humilis

Overview

Homalomena humilis is a common understory herb in the lowland dipterocarp forests of Borneo. This plant is native to Borneo, Java, Malaya, Maluku, New Guinea, Sumatra, Thailand. It is a very strongly aromatic clump or colony-forming stoloniferous helophytic herbs.

Vernacular Names

Kelemoyang (Malay) and Bon som (Thai).

Agroecology

This plant occurs in lowland forest and is locally common. Its habitat is the swampy areas in lowland forest, forest margins, in freshwater or peatswamp, wet facies of kerangas, or kerapah, often, but not exclusively, in full sun.

Morphology

• Stems - erect to creeping rhizome, 20 cm long, 2 cm thick, somewhat spongy, emitting cataphylliferous stolons to 25 cm long, 1 cm thick, these eventually upturned, becoming rhizomatous, leafy, and thence emitting further stolons from the base of the rhizomatous portion, the vegetative parts are strongly aromatic.
• Leaves - ovate-arrowhead-shaped with spreading lobes, up to 30 cm long.
• Flowers - spathe is up to 10 cm long and constricted in upper part, greenish-white or white, often tinged pink at apex while the spadix is slightly shorter than spathe, male and female flower zones contiguous, interpistillar staminodes present
• Fruits - oblong-globose, dull red, smelling strongly of butyric acid.
• Seeds - elongate-ellipsoid, very finely longitudinally striate, pale brown. Somewhat acutely rounded; midrib adaxially flat, abaxially prominent.

Cultivation

• Propagation is by seeds, stem cuttings, or division of shoot/suckers emerging from lateral root.

Chemical Constituents

• Alkaloid, flavonoid, triterpenoids- steroids (siklopentanophenanthren), saponin, tannin.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Treatment for wound by applying the pounded stem/rhizome on the wound.
• Used in the treatment for chills. Heated and placed on forehead.
• Also used to reduce stiff and as a liniment for feet.