Kareumbi (Homalanthus populneus) is a plant species in Euphorbiaceae, a medium-sized tree or bush, up to 10 m tall and trunk diameter up to 30 cm, round, straight but sometimes bent, many branches and flexible, rootstock enlarges when growing in mountain forests.
H. populneus has a smooth bark, brown to gray skin, not cracked but lenticles and pale patches with grayish lentis, yellow on the inside, very thin, soft and yellow cambium. Pale bark whitish to purple. Thin and wide canopy.
The single leaf is arranged in a spiral, heart-shaped, elliptical base and sharp tip, thick, has a 1-13 cm long stalk, a main bone in the middle continues the stalk, several minor bones are pinned, green on the upper surface and blood red on the lower surface.
The young leaves are reddish green on the upper surface and blood red on the lower surface. Leaves on young tree are larger and have a heart-shaped base, while leaves on older trees have a smaller size with a rounded base.
Flowers grow at the tips of branches, in the form of grains and yellowish white, stalks of 0.6-3 mm long, 8-10 stamens per flower. The fruits are round, clustered, bright green and have 1-2.5 cm long stems.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Hippomaneae
Genus: Homalanthus A.Juss. in Euphorb. Gen.: 50 (1824)
Species: Homalanthus populneus (Geiseler) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 609 (1891)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Carumbium populneum (Geiseler) Müll.Arg. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 1144 (1866)
Homalanthus populneus var. genuinus Pax in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 147, V: 46 (1912)
Stillingia populnea Geiseler in Croton. Monogr.: 80 (1807)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Carumbium populifolium Reinw. ex Blume in Catalogus: 105 (1823)
Carumbium populneum var. minus Müll.Arg. (1866)
Excoecaria laevis Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 788 (1837)
Homalanthus leschenaultianus A.Juss. (1824)
Homalanthus populneus var. laevis (Blanco) Merr. in Sp. Blancoan.: 230 (1918)
Homalanthus populneus var. minor (Müll.Arg.) Merr. in Philipp. J. Sci., C 7: 390 (1912 publ. 1913)
Homalanthus sulawesianus Airy Shaw in Kew Bull. 35: 398 (1980)
PUBLICATIONS
Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2011). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 3: 1-449. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Eldredge, L.G. (eds.) (2012). Records of the Hawaii biological survey for 2011. Part II: plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 113: 1-102.
Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
van Welzen, P.C. & Chayamarit, K. (2007). Flora of Thailand 8(2): 305-592. The Forest Herbarium, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok.
VERNACULAR NAME
English: Kareumbi, Mouse Deer's Poplar
Indonesian: Kareumbi, Haju lente
Madura: Totop
Java: Tutup abang
Sunda: Kareumbi
Aryo Bandoro
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