Gen info
- Putranjvaceae is a rosid family composed of 218 species in 2 genera of evergreen tropical tress that are found in the Old World tropics, with a few species in tropical America. The family was formerly a tribe (Drypeteae) of the subfamily Phyllanthoideae in the Euphorbiaceae.
- Drypetes is a genus of plants in the family Putranjivaceae. It was previously place in the family Euphorbiaceae. The genus Drypetes comprises about 200 species of dioecious tress or shrubs. (3)
- Etymology: The genus Drypetes probably derives from Greek drypa, meaning dried olive or drupe, alluding to the stone-containing fruit. The specific epithet longifolia derives from Latin, meaning "long leaves," referring to the plant's large and elongated foliage.

Botany
• A mid-canopy tree up to 32 m tall and 76 cm dbh. Twigs hollow and inhabited by ants. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined, strongly unequal leaf base, glabrous, large. Flowers ca. 8 mm diameter, whitish, placed in axillary bundles. Fruits ca. 26 mm long, orange-reddish, cauliflorous, fleshy drupes. (2)

• Tree, ± 15 m high; branches yellowish-brown pubescent, glabrescent. Leaves: petiole 7–12 mm long; blade oblong to elliptic, 14–24 by 4–6 cm, coriaceous, base unequally cuneate or rounded, margin entire, apex obtusely acuminate, subglabrous; nerves 8–10 pairs, prominent beneath. Flowers ramiflorous on tubercles of older twigs and branches. Staminate flowers: pedicel 6–11 mm long, brown velutinous; sepals 4 or 5, semiorbicular, 5–8 by 5–8 mm, spreading patently, velutinous outside, margin shortly ciliate; stamens numerous; disc hairy. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 5–7 mm long, short-hairy; sepals ovate-orbicular, 3–4 by 3–4 mm, outside densely short-hairy, margin short-ciliate; disc annular; ovary globose, 2 locular, densely short-hairy; stigmas large, transversely oblong or obtriangular, sessile. Fruits subglobose, up to 4 cm in diam., sulcate, pubescent; exocarp crustaceous, mesocarp spongy, endocarp hard. (Flora of Thailand)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- In primary forests at low elevation.
- Also native to Andaman Is., Borneo, India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand. (1)
- A mid-canopy tree in undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests up to 600 m altitude. On alluvial (river sides) and dry (hillsides and rides) sites with sandy soils. Also found on limestone. In secondary forests usually as pre-disturbance remnant tree.  (2)

Constituents
- No phytochemical studies specific for Drypetes longifolia found.
- Glucosinolates are reported to be abundant in the Genus Drypetes.

Properties
- Ecology: The plant is defended by stinging ants (that live symbiotically in the hollow twigs of the plant.

Parts used
Stems, leaves.

Uses
Edibility
- Fruits are edible, sweet when ripe and eaten raw.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- In Indonesia, decoction of stem and leaves drunk as tonic after pregnancy. (4)
Others
- Wood: Wood is exceptionally tough. Used for general construction, beams, joists, rafters, flooring; furniture and cabinet making, rice mortars, tool handles, piles, poles, and railway sleepers. (5)
- Fiber: Provides fibers in length of 2-2.7mm; in mixtures, use for making paper.

Studies
• No studies found.
• While no studies focus exclusively on D. longifolia, its therapeutic potential may be appreciated via studies of other species in the genus. Plants in the genus Drypetes (Putranjivaceae) are used in Subsaharan African and Asian traditional medicines for a spectrum of diseases, such as dysentery, gonorrhea, malaria, rheumatism tumors, wound healing, headaches, typhoid, among others. Some species are used as aphrodisiac, insect repellent, rodentocide, fish poison, etc.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Drypetes longifolia / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Drypetes longifolia / AsianPlantNet
(3)
Drypetes / iNaturalistNZ
(4)
Diversity of Indonesian Medicinal Plant in The lowland Forest, Bodogol and Its Surrounding of Mount GedePangrango National Park, West Java / S Susuartum N, M Rahayu, Rugayah / IOP Conf Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2018; 166: 012021 / DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/166/1/012021
(5)
Species richness, conservation status, and potential uses of plants in Segara Anakan Area of Sempu Island, East Java, Indonesia / Siti Nurgadilah et al / BIODIVERSITAS, 2017; 18(4): pp 1568-1588 /
pISSN: 1412-033X / pISSN: 2085-4722
(6)
S containing bioactive cancer preventive compounds in almost all major genera and in every class of primary and secondary metabolites of Euphorbiaceae. / Ashwani Kumar / Science 2.0
(7)
Phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Drypetes: A review / Jean Duplex Wansi, Jean Wandji et al / J Ethnopharmacol. 2016; 190: pp 328-353 / DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.06.060
(9)
Putranjivaceae / Wikipedia

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)