About Scutia myrtina (Burm.fil.) Kurz
Scutia myrtina (Burm.fil.) Kurz is a variable plant species that can grow as a 2-10 m tall shrub or tree with a trunk diameter up to 30 cm, but it often also grows as a scandent liane that climbs using thorns. Older bark of this plant is dark, corky, and longitudinally fissured. Newer growth is hairy, and its branchlets are green and angular. The thorns are sharp, recurved, and paired at the nodes, though they are sometimes absent. Its common name cat-thorn comes from the thorns' resemblance to a cat's claw. Its leaves are ovate to obovate, often notched at the apex, and always have a mucronulate tip. Leaves are arranged oppositely, usually with entire margins that are sometimes wavy. It produces berry-shaped fruit with black skin, white flesh, and two to three seeds. This species is distributed across Asia and Africa. Multiple species within the genus Scutia have been used in traditional medicine, including India's Ayurvedic system.
