Kantutay
Paederia foetida · Skunk vine
- Names in the book
- Kantutan, Kantutæ, Tag.; Lilitan, Tæ-tæ, Vis.
- Colours
- flowerlilac, whitethroatcrimson
- Native range
- Temperate and tropical Asia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Luzon, Mindanao, Cebu, Panay.
- Family
- Rubiaceae, filed in the book under Rubiaceæ
- Printed as
- Pæderia fœtida, L. (P. sessiflora, DC.)
- Sources
- Page 149 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Paederia foetida is a species of plant, with common names that are variations of skunkvine, stinkvine, pilau maile (Hawaiian) or Chinese fever vine. It is native to temperate, and tropical Asia; and has become naturalized in the Mascarenes, Melanesia, Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands, also found in North America by recent studies. Paederia foetida is known for the strong, sulphurous odour exuded when its leaves or stems are crushed or bruised. This is because the oil responsible for the smell, and found primarily within the leaves, contains sulphur compounds, including largely dimethyl disulphide.
Excerpt from “Paederia foetida” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 179 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 10 provinces, most often Laguna (21), Batanes (14), Batangas (13), Romblon (4), Sorsogon (3), Cavite (2), Metropolitan Manila (2), Benguet (1), and 2 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The fœtid odor of this plant has suggested both the technical and common names for it. The natives regard it as a cure for rheumatism. The root is emetic. The leaves, boiled and mashed, are applied to the abdomen in retention of urine; the decoction of the leaves is used for the same purpose and also has some reputation as a solvent for vesical calculus. For fever, cloths soaked in the decoction are applied to the head, the same preparation being given internally at the same time.
Botanical description
A slender, twining plant with leaves 3′ by 1′, opposite, oval, acute, entire, long petioles and caducous stipules. Flowers dark rose color, in compound axillary and terminal cymes. Calyx of 5 persistent lobules. Corolla tubular, pubescent, 5 lobules. Stamens 5, free. Ovary inferior, flattened, 2 uniovulate locules. Style with 2 stigma-bearing branches.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- A delve into the pharmacological targets and biological mechanisms of Paederia foetida Linn.: a rather invaluable traditional medicinal plant
- Unveiling the Antimicrobial, Anti-Biofilm, and Anti-Quorum-Sensing Potential of Paederia foetida Linn. Leaf Extract against Staphylococcus aureus: An Integrated In Vitro-In Silico Investigation
- Phytochemical inhibition of quorum sensing and biofilm formation by Paederia foetida Linn. against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: An integrated in vitro and in silico investigation