Gen info
- Utania is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family, Gentianaceae, the tribe Potalieae, and subtribe Potaliinae. It is a small genus with 12 species. (4)
- Etymology: The specific epithet volubilis derives from Latin, meaning 'twining', is somewhat misapplied because the species has the habit of an erect shrub or tree. Wallich assumed a climbing habit for the species probably because the long infructescence in Jack's  Sumatran (Bencoolen) specimen resembles the pendulous blooms common in garden vines. (3)

Botany
• Small tree, usually 2-4 meters, occasionally 8 m tall; 4 m (occasionally to 8 m) tall; trunk to c. 6 cm diam.; bark smooth to slightly fissured, grey-brown to dark brown. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate; (8.5–)15–24(–26) cm long, (3.8–)6–8(–10.6) cm wide; base cuneate rounded; apex acuminate-short caudate; margin flat; thin coriaceous; glabrous on both surfaces; midrib prominent below, sunken above; secondary veins 5–7 pairs, upper side faint, lower side prominent; tertiary veins faint; petioles 1–1.8(–2.2) cm long, (1.5–)2–3 mm diam. Inflorescence terminal, a many-flowered panicle, (3–)10–16(–22.8) cm long; peduncle (2–)3–5.5(–6.8) cm long, 1.5–2 mm diam.; rachis in the distal half of the flower-bearing part of the inflorescence not conspicuously thicker than the proximal part and the peduncle, clearly visible; branch tiers well-spaced, (1.3–)2–2.8(–3.8) cm apart, the basal 1–2 branch tiers most branched, typically to 2–(3) orders, more distal tiers hardly so. Flower pedicel 2–4(–5) mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam.; calyx (from the base to the lobe apices) 4–6 mm long, glabrous, calyx cup 4–6(–7) mm diam., calyx lobes spreading out from the base of the corolla tube, 3–4 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, margins glabrous; corolla broadly infundibular (the mouth more than 3–4 times the diam. of the lower narrowed part of the tube); cream to creamy-yellow; lower subcylindrical part of the corolla tube 7–10 mm long, 3.5–4 mm diam., upper flared part of the tube slightly inflated, 8–10(–15) mm long, 12–14(–16) mm diam. at the top; corolla lobes broad-obovate to suborbicular, 6–7(–10) mm long, 5–7(–8) mm wide; stamens inserted at the upper portion of the lower narrowed tubular part of the corolla tube or the lowermost portion of the upper flared part of the corolla tube; filaments 11–13 mm long, not or slightly protruding to 3 mm from the corolla mouth; anthers 1.8–2 mm long, 1–1.2 mm wide, each theca somewhat ellipsoid; style 17–20 mm long, not to slightly protruding to 2 mm from the corolla mouth in the open flower; stigma shallowly 2-lobed, the lobes broadly suborbicular and recurving when receptive (sometimes resembling a somewhat peltate structure 1–1.2 mm diam.). Infructescence peduncle 4–6 cm long, 1.5–2 mm diam.; rachis in the distal half of the fruit-bearing part of the infructescence not conspicuously thicker than the proximal part and the peduncle, 10 Pl. Ecol. Evol. 14x (x), 201x Proofs clearly visible. Fruit apex beaked; smooth; when mature to 11–14 mm long, 9–11 mm diam.; calyx lobes spread out and do not clasp the base in dried materials. Seeds usually slightly elongated; 1–1.2 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam. (5)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (1)
- In lowland forests, including lowland forest and forest edges. (2)
- Also native to Andaman Is., Borneo, Jawa, Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Northern Territory, Queensland, Solomon Is., Sulawesi, Sumatera. (1)
- Globally, probably vulnerable to extinction due to reduction of habitat. (5)

Constituents
- No studies found.

Properties
- Flowers emit a delicate sweet scent.

Parts used
- Flowers, leaves, bark, roots.

Uses
Edibility
- No report found on edibility.
- Bats eat the fruit and disperse the seeds.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, a mix of flowers, leaves, barks, and roots used as antidote for snake bites. (4)

Studies
• No studies found:

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Utania volubilis / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Gentianaceae / Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
(3)
Gentianaceae / K M Wong and M Sugumaran / Flora of Singapore, 2019; Vol 13: pp 359-390
(4)
Utania / Wikipedia
(5)
Gentianaceae / K M Wong, M Sugumaran / Flora of Singapore, 2019; Vol 13: pp 359-390

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