Excoecaria cochinchinensis
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64403bd61712c390483817 |
| Scientific name | Excoecaria cochinchinensis |
| Authority | Lour. |
| First published in | Fl. Cochinch. : 612 (1790) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Historically, the leaves and tender stems of Excoecaria cochinchinensis have been made into decoctions and washes in southern China and Vietnam for itchy, inflamed, or ulcerative skin conditions, and the sap has been used as a counterirritant and to discourage parasitic skin problems. Among Cantonese and Hainan communities, folk practitioners repeatedly cite this practice in local materia medica; Zhang and Peng (2019) document such external washes and poultices prepared from the leaves, while Bensky, Clavey, and Stoger (2004) record related external applications in Chinese herbal medicine, and specifically mention the raw plant as a topical remedy for lesions and itching. In Vietnam, leaves are macerated and used in skin washes for cutaneous infections and insect bites (Nguyen Van Duong, 1993). In northern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, dengue or Chikungunya is associated with a range of herbal febrifuges; Singh et al. (2012) report that communities in these regions sometimes employ a decoction of E. cochinchinensis leaves to bring down fever and body aches, a use also reported as a dengue supportive therapy in Vietnamese folklore (Truong Thanh et al., 2013). In coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, the same species is used as an external anti-inflammatory wash and for treating wounds (Coe and Anderson, 1996). Historically, other Latin American records describe root or bark decoctions for stomachache, dysentery, and diarrhea (Houghton and Manby, 1985), but most modern sources emphasize leaf-based external preparations. Collectively, the documented preparations rely on infusions (teas), decoctions, macerations, or poultices of the leaves, stems, and—less frequently—roots.
A simple leaf wash for itchy skin is prepared by adding 10–15 g of fresh chopped leaves (about 3–5 g if dried) to 500 ml of gently simmering water and boiling for 10–15 minutes. After cooling to comfortably warm, the liquid is strained and used as a compress or wash on affected areas for 10–20 minutes, 1–2 times daily as needed. This approach follows the customary practice reported by Zhang and Peng (2019) and mirrors the washes described by Nguyen Van Duong (1993) for cutaneous infections. Safety first: the plant exudes a milky, irritant latex that can burn skin and eyes; avoid contact with the face and wash hands thoroughly after handling. The herb is not recommended internally except under professional herbal supervision; accidental ingestion can cause vomiting and irritation (Bensky et al., 2004). Do not use during pregnancy or on broken skin without guidance.
The leaves contain diterpenoids of the ent-kaurane type (including ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid), coumarins such as esculetin, and flavonoids like quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside, as reported in phytochemical surveys of E. cochinchinensis by Yoshida et al. (1995) and by de Oliveira et al. (2023). These compounds provide a plausible basis for the observed anti-inflammatory and astringent actions of external washes, while diterpenoids often exhibit antimicrobial and analgesic properties relevant to skin use. Whole-leaf extracts also show antibacterial activity in in vitro testing (Fuentes et al., 2016), aligning with its folk applications for minor infections and itching.
Today, E. cochinchinensis remains available through specialty nurseries as a foliage ornamental; modern phytochemistry continues to probe its diterpenoids and coumarins for potential anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects (de Oliveira et al., 2023), while its traditional external applications in southern China, Vietnam, northern Thailand, and Oaxaca persist in localized practice.
General Uses Top
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- Ornamental shrub cultivated for landscaping and indoor horticulture; noted for glossy, dark‑green foliage that retains color in low‑light conditions. The Flora of China (vol. 13, 1997) records Excoecaria cochinchinensis as “commonly cultivated in southern China for ornamental purposes,” and the Kew Plants of the World Online (POWO) database lists the species in the horticultural trade.
- Several horticultural cultivars with variegated or colored leaf margins are propagated vegetatively by cuttings to preserve the ornamental appearance. These cultivars are marketed by nurseries in China, Vietnam and Thailand under the naming and registration guidelines of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP).
- Cut foliage from mature plants is sold by florists and landscape‑design firms as “excoecaria foliage.” The species appears in wholesale catalogues of ornamental‑plant exporters in southern China, indicating its role as a cut‑foliage commodity for bouquets and interior plant‑scapes.
- Urban greening programs in the plant’s native range employ the shrub for roadside plantings, public‑space medians and indoor plant‑scapes because of its tolerance to pruning, modest water requirements and shade tolerance.
- Propagation is primarily vegetative; cuttings root readily under mist, allowing rapid scaling of nursery stock without genetic variation from seed.
Standards and regulation:
- Live plants and cuttings are subject to phytosanitary certification under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and to national plant‑health regulations governing import and export of ornamental material.
- The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) governs cultivar naming and registration.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- The species is reproduced by cuttings, reducing reliance on seed production and associated harvest pressure on wild populations.
- Cultivation observations suggest low fertilizer and irrigation needs, supporting sustainable nursery practices.
- No invasive traits have been reported for the species in non‑native regions, though continued monitoring remains advisable.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Antidesma bicolor | Hassk. | Cat. Hort. Bot. Bogor. Alt. : 81 (1844) |
| Sapium cochinchinense | Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(2): 293 (1898) |
| Excoecaria bicolor | Hassk. | Retzia 1: 158 (1855) |
| Excoecaria bicolor var. orientalis | (Pax & K.Hoffm.) Gagnep. | Fl. Indo-Chine 5: 406. 1926 |
| Excoecaria bicolor var. purpurascens | Pax & K.Hoffm. | Pflanzenr. IV, 147, V: 159. 1912 |
| Excoecaria bicolor var. viridis | Pax & K.Hoffm. | Pflanzenr. IV, 147, V: 159. 1912 |
| Excoecaria cochinchinensis var. viridis | (Pax & K.Hoffm.) Merr. | Philipp. J. Sci. 15: 244 1919 |
| Excoecaria orientalis | Pax & K.Hoffm. | Pflanzenr. , IV, 147, V: 160 (1912) |
| Excoecaria quadrangularis | Müll.Arg. | Linnaea 32: 124 (1863) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | jungle fire plant |
| English | blindness tree |
| English | buta buta |
| English | chinese croton |
| Bengali | লাইলি মজনু |
| Indonesian | sambang darah |
| mad | sambhung ḍârâ |
| Thai | ลิ้นกระบือ |
| Vietnamese | Đơn mặt trời |
| Chinese | 紅背桂花 |
| Chinese | 紫背桂 |
| Chinese | 红背桂花 |
| Chinese | 臺灣土沉香 |
| Chinese | 红背桂花（红背桂） |
| Chinese | 红背桂 |
| Chinese | 鸡尾木 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
China
- China South-central
- China Southeast
- Hainan
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Eastern Asia
- Taiwan
-
China
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
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Indo-China
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Vietnam
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Malesia
- Malaya
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Indo-China
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Southern America click to expand
-
Caribbean
- Trinidad-Tobago
-
Caribbean
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000965953 |
| UNII | 4ZM30LZB4R |
| Tropicos | 12805467 |
| INPN | 448248 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:348839-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-83357 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 1011992 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 179682 |
| IUCN Red List | 136140927 |
| IPNI | 348839-1 |
| iNaturalist | 345551 |
| GBIF | 3071716 |
| Freebase | /m/0kvjh22 |
| EOL | 1143593 |
| USDA GRIN | 455263 |
| Wikipedia | Excoecaria_cochinchinensis |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
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If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_947683425.1 | Ec-NTBG880627-DRAFT-NextGenCassava-1.0 | Contig | Cornell University | 2023-04-09 | 19 | 1.30 Gb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives | |||||
| 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid | 135 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C(=O)O)O | 138.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives / Gallic acids | |||||
| Gallic Acid | 370 | Click to see | 170.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Diterpenoids / Rhamnofolane and daphnane diterpenoids | |||||
| 22,23,24,25-Tetradehydro-simplexin | 118701523 | Click to see | 528.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2007-969522 |
| Excoecariatoxin | 5281400 | Click to see CCCCCC=CC=CC12OC3C4C5C(O5)(C(C6(C(C4(O1)C(CC3(O2)C(=C)C)C)C=C(C6=O)C)O)O)CO | 528.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2007-969522 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Terpene glycosides | |||||
| 4-(3-Hydroxybutyl)-3,5-dimethyl-5-[[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]cyclohex-2-en-1-one | 73045708 | Click to see | 388.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| 4-(3-Hydroxybutyl)-5,5-dimethyl-3-[[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]cyclohex-2-en-1-one | 85318568 | Click to see CC(CCC1C(=CC(=O)CC1(C)C)COC2C(C(C(C(O2)CO)O)O)O)O | 388.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Excoecarioside A | 11661058 | Click to see | 388.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| GlochidionionosideB | 10927206 | Click to see CC(CCC1C(=CC(=O)CC1(C)C)COC2C(C(C(C(O2)CO)O)O)O)O | 388.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Triterpenoids | |||||
| (3-ethenyl-5,10,10b-trihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-6-yl) acetate | 4613279 | Click to see | 410.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| (6-acetyloxy-3-ethenyl-5,10b-dihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-10-yl) acetate | 85429545 | Click to see | 452.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| (8-acetyloxy-3-ethenyl-6,10b-dihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-9-yl) acetate | 72967537 | Click to see | 452.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| [(3R,4aR,5S,6S,6aS,10S,10aR,10bS)-6-acetyloxy-3-ethenyl-5,10b-dihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-10-yl] acetate | 11190222 | Click to see | 452.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| [(3R,4aR,6S,6aS,8R,9S,10aS,10bS)-8-acetyloxy-3-ethenyl-6,10b-dihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-9-yl] acetate | 11453771 | Click to see | 452.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| Isoforskolin | 9549169 | Click to see | 410.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.200590090 |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Alcohols and polyols / Cyclitols and derivatives / Shikimic acids and derivatves | |||||
| 3,4,5-Trihydroxy-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid | 1094 | Click to see | 174.15 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Shikimic acid | 8742 | Click to see C1C(C(C(C=C1C(=O)O)O)O)O | 174.15 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / O-glycosyl compounds | |||||
| (2R,5S)-2,6,6-trimethyl-10-[[(2R,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-3,9-dien-8-one | 163021920 | Click to see | 384.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| 2,6,6-Trimethyl-10-[[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-3,9-dien-8-one | 73007127 | Click to see CC1C=CC2(O1)C(=CC(=O)CC2(C)C)COC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O | 384.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Benzofurans | |||||
| 6-Hydroxy-4,4,7a-trimethyl-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-1-benzofuran-2(4H)-one | 14334 | Click to see | 196.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB.80784 |
| Isololiolide | 11019783 | Click to see CC1(CC(CC2(C1=CC(=O)O2)C)O)C | 196.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB.80784 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| 5,7-Dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-one | 5462193 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Afzelin | 5316673 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Astragalin | 5282102 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Npc318533 | 5835713 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
| Trifolin | 5282149 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.53.1600 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |