(Ebenaceae) Diospyros cf. frutescens Blume
Local name(s): (kok koh haeb)
Medicinal use(s): to treat diarrhea.
Part(s) used: root.
Field Characters: Small treelet, levaes bright green, fruits (2" in diameter) orange, mottled brown, with greenish brown persistent calyx.
Locality: Xieng Khouang Province, Kham District, Xieng Khouang Medicinal Biodiversity Preserve, mountain road between Muang Kham and Ban Tha.
Habitat: Roadside. Good quality secondary tropical rainforest, on a mountain slope.
Altitude: 1137 m asl.
Collector(s): J.M. Henkin, K. Sydara, M. Xayue, D.D. Soejarto
Collection number(s): JMH 035
Collection Date: December 10, 2015
Additional information:
Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA, under accession no. 2320545.Synonyms, images, taxonomic description:
Plants of the World onlinePham Hoang Ho-Cayco Vietnam vol. 1, p. 647, plant #2589GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Medicinal properties:
Chen TV, Nghia NT, Nhat Truong LV, Khanh Linh NH. Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Properties of Diospyros mollis Griff.: A Review. Natural Product Communications. 2024;19(2). doi:10.1177/1934578X241233459
Sulastri D, Hartati, Khairina Y, et al. A Review of Diospyros species: Antibacterial and antifungal compounds, microbiome interactions, and pathogen dynamics. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 2025, 1445 012090 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/1445/1/012090/pdf
Fankam AG, Nchiozem-Ngnitedem V-A, Seukep AJ, et al. Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacological potential of the genus Diospyros. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2026, volume 356, 120763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2025.120763.
Fareed N, El-Kersh DM, Youssef FS, Labib RM. Unveiling major ethnopharmacological aspects of genus Diospyros in context to its chemical diversity: A comprehensive overview. Journal of Food Biochemistry 2022, 46, e14413. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.14413
Rauf A, Akram Z, Hafeez N, et al. Anticancer therapeutic potential of genus Diospyros: From phytochemistry to clinical applications-A review. Food Sci Nutr 2024, 12(10):7033-7047. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4375