Ceylon hill-cherry

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Ceylon hill-cherry
• downy myrtle
• downy rose myrtle
• hill-gooseberry

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Cynomyrtus tomentosa
• Myrtus tomentosa

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae, the order Myrtalees, and the family Myrtaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Rhodomyrtus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical presence across several key regions in Asia. In China, it is commonly found throughout the South-Central and Southeast territories. Its distribution extends into Eastern Asia, specifically encompassing Taiwan and the Nansei-shoto islands. Furthermore, the species can be located within the Indian Subcontinent, particularly in India. Together, these locations highlight the diverse range in which the plant thrives.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Rhodomyrtus tomentoza is characterized by its status as a perennial species, ensuring a long-term presence within its ecological niche. As a plant that maintains its foliage throughout the year, it exhibits an evergreen deciduousness, providing continuous photosynthetic activity across seasons. In terms of its structural growth habits and architectural classification, the species displays diverse life forms, primarily functioning as a phanerophyte with its reproductive and vegetative structures elevated above the ground, while also exhibiting characteristics of a nanophanerophyte depending on its developmental stage and environmental conditions.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

nanophanerophyte

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Rhodomyrtus tomentoza is characterized by a woody growth form, specifically classified as a shrub. This self-supporting plant typically reaches a maximum height of 3 m, with an average height of approximately 2.75 m and a minimum height of 1 m. As a terrestrial species, it is neither aquatic nor an epiphyte, and it grows as an independent organism rather than acting as a parasite.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

3 m

Plant height mean:

2.75 m

Plant height min:

1 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Rhodomyrtus tomentoza is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency. The plant's vegetative morphology is defined by its foliage, where the leaves exhibit significant dimensional variation; specifically, the leaf length ranges from a minimum of 3 cm to a maximum of 8 cm, with an average length of 5.5 cm. The leaf width is similarly variable, spanning from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 4 cm. Furthermore, regarding its nutrient acquisition capabilities, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer.

Leaf length max:

8 cm

Leaf length mean:

5.5 cm

Leaf length min:

3 cm

Leaf width max:

4 cm

Leaf width min:

1 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Rhodomyrtus tomentoza is driven by biotic pollination syndromes, specifically relying on insects for the transfer of pollen. The plant produces flowers that vary in length, ranging from a minimum of 2 cm to a maximum of 4 cm. Following successful fertilization, the plant develops indehiscent fruit categorized as a berry. These berries exhibit specific morphological dimensions, with a mean length of 1.75 cm (ranging from 1.5 cm to 2 cm) and a mean width of 1.25 cm (ranging from 1 cm to 1.5 cm). The dispersal of these fruits is zoochorous, meaning they are spread by animals. Within the fruit, the seeds are quite small and uniform in mass, with a mean, minimum, and maximum seed mass all recorded at 0.0021 g.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Flower length max:

4 cm

Flower length min:

2 cm

Fruit length max:

2 cm

Fruit length mean:

1.75 cm

Fruit length min:

1.5 cm

Fruit type :

berry

Fruit width max:

1.5 cm

Fruit width mean:

1.25 cm

Fruit width min:

1 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed mass mean:

0.0021 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa has 2 reported plant parts identified across 18 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, fruit.

Leaf

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Organic letters
4. Journal of natural products
5. Chemistry & biodiversity

Fruit

1. Horticulture research
2. Journal of the science of food and agriculture
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Chemicals

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa has 22 reported phytochemicals identified across 18 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Rhodomyrtone, 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A.

Rhodomyrtone

1. Journal of microbiology (Seoul, Korea)
2. Current microbiology
3. Fish physiology and biochemistry

1A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

2A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

2B

1. Bioorganic chemistry

3A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

3B

1. Bioorganic chemistry

4A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

5A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

5B

1. Bioorganic chemistry

6A

1. Bioorganic chemistry

Activities

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa has 29 reported activities identified across 18 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antitumor, Cytotoxic, Anthelmintic, AntiHIV.

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Bioorganic chemistry
4. Food chemistry

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Food chemistry

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes

Anthelmintic

1. Dr. Duke

AntiHIV

1. Dr. Duke

Antiatherosclerotic

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Antibiotic

1. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke

Anticarcinomic

1. Dr. Duke

Antiedemic

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa has 16 reported medicinal uses identified across 18 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Candida albicans, Gram-positive bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus iniae.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations