Putranjiva Explained

Putranjiva is a plant genus of the family Putranjivaceae, first described as a genus in 1826. It is native to Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Japan, southern China, and New Guinea.^[1]

Along with Drypetes (of the same family), it contains mustard oils as a chemical defense against herbivores. The ability to produce glucosinolates is believed to have evolved only twice, in the Putranjivaceae and the Brassicales.

Species^[1]

1. Putranjiva formosana Kaneh. & Sasaki ex Shimada - Guangdong, Taiwan
2. Putranjiva matsumurae Koidz. - Honsu + Ryukyu Islands in Japan
3. Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. - Indian Subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka), Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea
4. Putranjiva zeylanica (Thwaites) Müll.Arg. - Sri Lanka

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=171007 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families