Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston

Bantengan (Tetrastigma leucostaphylum) is a large liana climbing with tendrils from the Vitaceae family, distributed from Bangladesh to Sumatra and Java, and is the sole host for parasitic Rafflesiaceae plants. The Chakma and Tripura peoples of Bangladesh traditionally use its leaves for diarrhea, while the Mamak people of Riau use it to reduce fever.

Bantengan can be found growing in several habitat types, from secondary forest, primary forest edges, rocky cliffs, dense forest on limestone, riverbanks, highland forest, to lowland forest in Sumatra.

• Stem round when young, up to 4 cm in diameter, flattened, tendrils bifid, woody, rough, striated, lenticels prominent, with sturdy tendrils.
• Leaves compound, consisting of 3-7 leaflets, oblong-lanceolate shaped, base pointed, apex tapering, margin serrate, hairless, with 8-10 pairs of secondary veins, veinlets fine (inconspicuous), leaves opposite, slightly winged on the lower surface, green.
• Flowers hairy, calyx numbering 4. Petals number 4, green to whitish green, ovate shaped, thickened at the apex. Stamens number 4, stigma 4-lobed and large, pistil with a cone-shaped ovary, style short, ciliate. Flowers short-stalked up to 4 cm, dark brown, corky. Inflorescence a cyme (umbel) growing in the leaf axil.
• Fruit a round-ovate berry, pale green or whitish green when young, turning orange when ripe, 15-20 mm in diameter, fleshy, 1-2 seeds per fruit
• Seeds oblong shaped, concave on the surface, transversely wrinkled.

Propagation is done generatively using seed.

Steroids, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, diterpenes, phytosterols, saponins.

Treats diarrhea and dysentery, vaginitis, cough, boils, gastric ulcers, stomach ache, tumors, gout, edema, tetanus and paratyphoid (an infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella paratyphi), reduces fever. Has anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic activity.

Areuy ki barera (Sunda), Oyod gepeng (Java), Daun jari lima.