Salacia oblonga


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Salacia oblonga, known as oblong leaf salacia in English, ekanayaka in Kannada, ponkorandi in Malayalam, ponkoranti in Tamil, and ekanayake in Tulu, is a climbing shrub that tends to strangle other plants.[2][3] It is native to India and Sri Lanka.

Salacia oblonga
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae
Genus: Salacia
Species:

S. oblonga

Binomial name
Salacia oblonga

Wall.

Synonyms[1]
  • Comocladia serrata Blanco

Oblong leaf salacia is a climbing shrub with densely warty branchlets. Leaves are oblong, green, veined, and borne on stalks up to 1 cm long. The flowers are green-yellow, appearing in March through May, that yield orange-red berries. It grows primarily in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

Traditional medicine

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Oblong leaf salacia is described as a treatment for diabetes in the traditional medical systems of India and Sri Lanka.[4]

The closely related species Salacia reticulata and Salacia chinesis are also used for people with diabetes.[5]