Champa | พุดป่า | Centella asiatica
Family: Rubiaceae - Genus: Gardenia
The Golden Gardenia provides shadow for those who like to sit outside of the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant. The flowering tree hovers over the path there and provides shadow and an incredible smell.
The Golden Gardenia is a sub-canopy tree up to 25 meter tall, but usually grows about 8-15 meter tall. The tree has opposite, stalked leaves, with leaf blades that are elliptic to reverse egg-shaped, measuring about 12-16 centimeter long. Flowers of the Golden Gardenia are white to pale yellow, but finally turning to intense orange. It produces round non edible fruits that are pale apple-green, 2.5–5 centimeter wide, and split when ripe to expose many seeds in the orange to reddish pulp.
The Golden Gardenia is also known as the Kula Gardenia, Pekan Heran, Water Gardenia, Chempaka Utan, Cempaka Tanjung, Delima Hutan, Jambu Batu Hutan, Kepayang Ipil, Kopeng Air, Mentiong.
The tree tends to flower during the rainy season due to cooler temperatures.
THE TREE
The Golden Gardenia is a sub-canopy tree up to 25 meter tall, but usually grows about 8-15 meter tall.
THE LEAVES
The leaves of the Golden Gardenia are rich deep green glossy foliage, they are stalked leaves, with leaf blades that are elliptic to reverse egg-shaped, measuring about 12-16 centimeter long.
THE FLOWERS
The Golden Gardenia has upward facing, strongly fragrant, up to 5 centimeter wide, creamy white, pinwheel-like flowers are held on 10-15 centimeter long slender tubes and quickly change to golden yellow and then to pumpkin orange.
Gardenia flowers are the most fragrant near sunset and during the early evening hours .
THE BERRIES
The Golden Gardenia produces round non edible fruits that are pale apple-green, 2.5–5 centimeter wide, and split when ripe to expose many seeds in the orange to reddish pulp.
CULINARY USES
No culinary use of the Golden Gardenia known.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
Centella asiatica is an important medicinal herb that is widely used in the orient and is becoming popular in the West. Triterpenoid, saponins, the primary constituents of Centella asiatica are manly believed to be responsible for its wide therapeutic actions.
Apart from wound healing, the herb is recommended for the treatment of various skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhoea, fever, amenorrhea, diseases of the female genitourinary tract and also for relieving anxiety and improving cognition.
In traditional medicine, Centella asiatica has been used to treat various disorders and minor wounds. Contact dermatitis and skin irritation can result from topical application. Drowsiness may occur after consuming it. The herb may have adverse effects on liver function when used over many months.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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