MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE) 



246. Morinda, painkiller 



This small tree planted for ornament and natur- 

 lized on sandy coasts is characterized by: (1) 

 large, thin, elliptic, dark green leaves with undu- 

 lating surfaces, short-pointed at both ends, op- 

 posite on stout 4-angled twigs; (2) twigs with 

 paired rounded scales (stipules) about 14 inc'i 

 long at base of each pair of leaves, the scales leav- 

 ing ring scars upon shedding; (3) white tubular 

 4r-6-lobed flowers more than 14 inch long, many in 

 a lateral ball-like cluster on a short stalk; and (4) 

 whitish, green-tinged, elliptic multiple fniits 3-4 

 inches long and about 21A inches across, slightly 

 resembling pineapples, fleshy and malodorous. 



Small evergreen tree to 20 feet high and 5 inches 

 in trunk diameter, or shrubby. Twigs hairless, 

 light green. The bark is gray or brown, smoothish 

 and slightly warty or scaly, and soft. Inner bark 

 is light brown and tasteless or slightly irritating. 



The leaves have stout gi'een petioles about 1/0 

 inch long. Leaf blades are about 5-11 inches long 

 and 21/2-61/^ inches broad, not toothed on edges, 

 slightly shiny dark green on upper surface, and 

 the lower surface light green with small tufts of 

 hairs in vein angles along midrib. 



Flower clusters (heads) about 1 inch across are 

 mostly single on stalks about 14 inch long and are 

 composed of many crowded flowers more than 1/0 

 inch long rising from a light green rounded or 

 elliptic mass. The light green base (hypanthium) 

 more than y^ inch long bears a very short light 

 green calyx rim ; the white corolla nearly I/2 inch 

 long is tubular with 4—6 lobes %--V2 inch across; 

 4-6 stamens ^/iq inch long are inserted near mouth 

 of corolla tube; and the pistil is composed of in- 

 ferior 2-celled ovai-y with slender light green style 

 and 2-lobed stigma. 



Morinda citrifolia L.* 



From the flower head develops a multiple fruit 

 (syncarp), a compact, soft, juicy mass of fruits 

 from individual flowere. These fruits, which 

 liave a cheeselike odor, reportedly are edible. 

 The surface is irregular and warty, marked by 

 the 4— 6-sided individual fruits I/2 inch across, 

 each 2-celled and 2-seeded. The seeds are more 

 than i/g inch long. Flowering and fruiting near- 

 ly through the year. 



Tlie sap wood is yellow brown and soft. 



A red dye has been obtained from the bark. 

 The edible fruits are eaten also by hogs. 



The English name painkiller refers to use of 

 the leaves in the Vii'gin Islands, Trinidad, British 

 Guiana, and probably elsewhere in alleviating 

 pain. According to different directions, a hot 

 leaf (heated over a fire) or wilted leaf is pressed 

 against the body on painful swellings, a poultice 

 of the leaves is applied to wounds or to the head 

 for headaches, or crushed leaves in lard or 

 camphor oil are put on the face for treatment of 

 neuralgia or head colds. 



Sometimes grown for ornament in Puerto 

 Rico. Also planted or naturalized along sandy 

 coasts of Puerto Rico, Vieques, St. Croix, St. 

 Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 



Range. — Native of India, Malaya including 

 East Indies, and tropical Australia and intro- 

 duced into other tropical areas. Cultivated and 

 in part naturalized through West Indies from 

 Cuba and Jamaica to Barbados and Trinidad. 

 Rarely planted at Key West, Florida, and grown 

 also in Guianas. 



Other common n.\mes. — gardenia hedionda, 

 noni (Puerto Rico) ; nigua, piiia de puerto 

 (Dominican Republic) ; Indian-mulberry, pain- 

 killer (English) ; douleur, fromagier (Haiti) ; 

 rhubarbe caraibe (Guadeloupe). 



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