Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Botany  





2 Uses  





3 See also  





4 References  





5 External links  














Pemphis acidula






Cebuano
Čeština
Deutsch
Français
Hrvatski
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
Bahasa Melayu
Svenska

Lea faka-Tonga
Tiếng Vit
Winaray

 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
Wikispecies
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Pemphis acidula
Pemphis acidula bushes on the shore of Réunion Island

Conservation status


Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Lythraceae
Genus: Pemphis
Species:
P. acidula
Binomial name
Pemphis acidula

J.R.Forst & G.Forst

Synonyms[2]
  • Macclellandia griffithiana Wight
  • Melanium fruticosum Spreng.
  • Melanium rupestre Zipp.
  • Millania rupestris Zipp. ex Bl.
  • Pemphis angustifolia Roxb.
  • Pemphis setosa Blanco

Pemphis acidula, commonly known as bantigue (pron. bahn-TEE-geh) or mentigi,[3][4][5] is a species of flowering plant in the family Lythraceae. It is the only species in the genus Pemphis.[6]

It is found growing in sandy and calcareous soils in littoral zones, rocky shores and mangroves throughout most of the tropical Indo-Pacific.[7][5]

Botany

[edit]

The mentigi is a stocky bush that grows up to 25 feet (760 cm) high with dense and twisted branches. Its greyish leaves are small but thick and hairy.[5][8]: 52 

  • Mentigi branches
    Mentigi branches
  • Its flowers are small and not fragrant, each has six delicate white petals and come from stalks 5–15 mm long.[4][8]

  • Closeup of flowers and young leaves; Tonga.
    Closeup of flowers and young leaves; Tonga.
  • Uses

    [edit]

    The wood of this species has been traditionally valued in many cultures for it is hard and heavy, as well as resistant to rot and warping. It also has naturally a fine finish and may be fashioned into walking canes, fence posts, tool handles, and even anchors.[9]InRéunion and Mauritius it is known as bois matelot.[10] In the Maldives this hardy wood was used in traditional shipbuilding to hold the planks of the hull together, as well as to fashion "nails" in local sorcery.[11]

    Pemphis acidula is also one of the plant species used in bonsai. Due to its tropical preference and typhoon-resistance, it is the most common species for bonsai in the Philippines; but it is also grown as bonsai in Taiwan and the Ryukyu IslandsofJapan.[3][12][13] Due to its popularity and high value among bonsai enthusiasts, it is among the list of species classified as 'threatened' by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines. The collection, selling, and transport of wild Pemphis acidula is illegal in the Philippines and punishable by fines and imprisonment of up to six years.[14][15]

    InMarovo Island, Tonga, Tahiti, and other South Pacific islands, it is used to make wooden tools such as pestles, tool handles, weapons, and combs.[16]

    In Taiwan's Kenting National Park illegal picking has had a negative impact on the coastal ecosystem.[17]

    See also

    [edit]

    References

    [edit]
  • ^ "Pemphis acidula J.R.Forst & G.Forst". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  • ^ a b Enriquez, Marge C. "The Philippine 'bantigue' still rules the bonsai scene". Lifestyle. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  • ^ a b Tan, Ria. "Mentigi". Wild Fact Sheets. Wild Singapore. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  • ^ a b c Corner, E. J. H. (1997). "Wayside Trees of Malaya". I (4th ed.). Malayan Nature Society: 431. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • ^ "Pemphis J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". World Flora Online. World Flora Consortium. 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  • ^ Piggott, C.J. (1961). "Notes on Some of the Seychelles Islands, Indian Ocean" (PDF). Atoll Research Bulletin. 83: 1–10. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.83.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-13.
  • ^ a b de Wilde, W.J.J.O.; Duyfjes, B.E.E. (2016). "Lythraceae". Flora Malesiana. 22: 1–64 – via Naturalis Institutional Repository.
  • ^ Wim Giesen; Stephan Wulffraat; Max Zieren; Liesbeth Scholten (2006). "Part 2: Description - Trees & shrubs". Mangrove Guidebook for Southeast Asia. Bangkok, Thailand: FAO, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; Wetlands International. ISBN 974-7946-85-8. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  • ^ xycol.net Pemphis acidula J.R. Forst., 1775 - Nom pilote : miki miki
  • ^ Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. NEI (1999), ISBN 84-7254-801-5
  • ^ Cheng Cheng-Kung (2007). "Pemphis acidula — A Tropical Classic" (PDF). Bonsai Societies of Florida Magazine. XXXVIII, No. 4 (152 (Winter edition)). Cooper City, Florida: Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-16.
  • ^ Yap, Julio. "Proper maintenance and care for bonsai". Agriculture Monthly. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  • ^ "P300T worth of threatened PH plant seized". Panay News. September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  • ^ "DENR seizes P300K worth of threatened plant species". Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  • ^ Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds). 2008. The lexicon of Proto Oceanic: The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Volume 3: Plants Archived 2019-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Pacific Linguistics 599. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University.
  • ^ Tzu-hsuan, Liu (30 April 2022). "Illegal picking of reef pemphis raises concern in Kenting". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pemphis_acidula&oldid=1231574721"

    Categories: 
    IUCN Red List least concern species
    Lythraceae
    Flora of Seychelles
    Flora of the Philippines
    Flora of the Maldives
    Flora of the Pacific
    Plants used in bonsai
    Hidden categories: 
    CS1 errors: missing periodical
    CS1: long volume value
    Webarchive template wayback links
    Articles with short description
    Short description matches Wikidata
    Articles with 'species' microformats
    Commons category link from Wikidata
    Taxonbars with 3034 taxon IDs
     



    This page was last edited on 29 June 2024, at 01:43 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki