Morinda angustifolia Roxb., Pl. Coromandel 3: 32 (1815)

Synonyms
Morinda angustifolia var. scabridula Craib
Morinda squarrosa Buch.-Ham.

Description
Erect shrubs or small trees, ca. 6 m tall; branches quadrangular, glabrous. Leaves opposite, or solitary opposite an inflorescence; petiole 0.5-1 cm, glabrous; blade drying papery, matte on both surfaces, brownish green, elliptic-oblong, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 15-30 x 6-10 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially scabrous to glabrous or sometimes sparsely hirtellous on veins, base acute to attenuate, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 9-13 pairs; stipules interpetiolar, free or shortly united to petioles, triangular, 4.5-5 mm, acuminate or acute. Inflorescence solitary and leaf-opposed; peduncle 1.5-4 cm; flowering head 1, subglobose to cylindrical, many flowered, 0.8-2.5 cm (not including corollas); bracteoles subulate. Flowers fused only shortly at base, distylous. Calyx glabrous; limb truncate to denticulate, ca. 1 mm. Corolla white, salverform, outside glabrous; tube cylindrical to slenderly funnelform, 16-33 mm; lobes 5, ovate-lanceolate, 4-15 mm, acute. Ovary 4-celled. Drupecetum mulberry-shaped, subglobose, or ellipsoid- oblong, to 2.5 cm in diam. Drupes partially fused to nearly separate, white or black, obovoid to subglobose, 10-15 mm.

Ecology
Forests; 500-1400 m.

Uses

Distribution
India, southern Himalaya, Burma, Southern Yunnan, Thailand, Laos.

Local names
China: Huang mu ba ji.