Draft:Flueggea virosa draft

Flueggea virosa is a small tropical bush, native to Africa, Australia, south and east Asia. It's common name is white berry bush, knwon for it's white and juicy fruit.

Description
The white berry bush can reach 6 to 8 meters height, with flexible ridged branches. The leaves are 3–8 mm long, papery, with stiff stipule, alternative arrangement. Their shape are obovate, which can decrease self-shading and enhanced light-capture efficiency. They also contain high amount of different alkaloids.

The flowers are unisexual, arranged in axillary fascicles. Male flowers are various from light green or yellow, 3-7 mm long and 1.7-2.2 mm broad, 5 stamens, 5 petals. Female flowers are simmilar to male but relatively smaller, light yellow, with superior 3-celled ovary.

The fruit is white and fleshy berry when ripe, about 1 cm long. They have 3 shallow groove, taste sweet with a slightly bitter, with smooth and glossy seeds inside.

Habitat
The white berry bush are very common below 1000 meters elevation, it is able to grow in clay, loamy, alluvial or sandy soils.

Cultivation and uses
The white berry bush have some traditional medical usage. In Asia, the leaf decoction is a treatment of eczema and rheumatoid arthritis; the root decoction can sooth abdominal pain. In Africa, it is used against malaria. Bergenin can be isolated from the leaves, whtch can inhibit the activity against P. berghei though the effect is modest.

The fruit is edible, they are eaten by animal and birds, sometimes by human.