Sterculia foetida
Bastard poon tree
Sterculia foetida, commonly known as the Cotton Tree, is a versatile medicinal plant native to tropical regions. Renowned for its diverse therapeutic properties, its bark, leaves, and seeds are utilized in traditional medicine to treat ailments ranging from skin diseases and inflammation to digestive issues and various infections.
- Scientific name: Sterculia foetida
- Family: Malvaceae
- Native range: Africa
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified within the phylum Streptophyta and class Equisetopsida. Under the subclass Magnoliidae, it is organized into the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Sterculia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Malvales | WCVP |
| Family | Malvaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Sterculia | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, known scientifically as Sterculia foetida, is recognized by various regional names across different languages and cultures. In Chinese, it is referred to as 香苹婆 (zh-hans), 香蘋婆 (zh-hant), and 香蘋婆 (zh-hk). In Indonesia, it is commonly called Kepuh (id), while in the Malayalam language of India, it is known as മലമ്പരത്തി (ml).| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| zh-hans | 香苹婆 | Wikidata |
| zh-hant | 香蘋婆 | Wikidata |
| zh-hk | 香蘋婆 | Wikidata |
| id | Kepuh | Wikidata |
| ml | മലമ്പരത്തി | Wikidata |
| jv | Jangkang | Wikidata |
| vi | Trôm | Wikidata |
| nl | Kepuh | Wikidata |
| pl | Zatwar cuchnący | Wikidata |
| zh | 香苹婆 | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution spanning several distinct tropical and subtropical regions. In West-Central Tropical Africa, it can be found around the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Its range extends across the Western Indian Ocean to include the Comoros. Within Asia, the species is documented in the Indian Subcontinent specifically in Assam, as well as in China Southeast. Finally, its presence is also noted in the Hainan province of China.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| West-Central Tropical Africa | Gulf of Guinea Is. | WCVP |
| Western Indian Ocean | Comoros | WCVP |
| China | Hainan | WCVP |
| China | China Southeast | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Assam | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Bangladesh | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | India | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Pakistan | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Sri Lanka | WCVP |
| Indo-China | Cambodia | WCVP |
Chemicals
Sterculia foetida has 4 reported phytochemicals identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose.
- Total chemicals
- 4
- Scientific sources
- 4
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| arabinose | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| galactose | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| rhamnose | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| xylose | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |