their natural tendency to whistle eerily in the wind. Those referring to (again, tubular) guns and fireworks indicate that the jointed stems of the plant explode (crack / pop) when burnt, like those of bamboo (the popping stems of which the first fireworks were manufactured to mimic ). Only one common name (Hóu júzi 'Monkey orange') references the shrub's edible berries, and does so in a somewhat disparaging manner. The curious name Jīnjī yī bǎ suǒ, translating as 'Golden rooster lock' suggests that the plant was thought to relate in some way to the good luck / wealth-bringing symbol of the golden cockerel. Other uses The hollow canes produced by L. formosa have been used in India to make whistles and flutes. Other uses of the plant in North India (states Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Ladakh and Sikkim) are as a green manure and as firewood. Animal toxicity While many sources assert that L. formosa is not toxic, there have been associated deaths of cattle reported in New Zealand and Australia, where the plant is a rampant weed, and thus the plant is best considered suspect until more conclusive evidence comes to light. Leaves and unripe berries are likely to have been the plant parts browsed. Chemistry L. formosa has yielded coumarins, monomeric flavonoids and the two biflavonoid compounds amentoflavone (3'-8" biapigenin) and its 4"'methyl derivative podocarpusflavone A. Amentoflavone and, to some extent, podocarpusflavone A are good cAMP phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors. In the light of these findings L. formosa may be considered of potential interest in the treatment of dermatitis. Prior to the isolation of amentoflavone from Leycesteria, the only genera of Caprifoliaceae in which the compound was known to occur were Viburnum and Lonicera. (Note: the genus Viburnum is now placed, not in Caprifoliaceae, but in the related family Adoxaceae). The leaves of L. formosa have been found to contain leucoanthocyanins, while the wood contains the fluorescent lactone aesculetin. Gallery References External links Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal: Leycesteria formosa Caprifoliaceae Flora of temperate Asia Garden plants of Asia Medicinal plants of Asia Edible fruits Weeds Flora of West Himalaya [[Category:Flora of IndiaFlora of West Tropical Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa Flora of Southern Africa Flora of Madagascar Flora of India (region) Flora of Sri Lanka]] Flora of