Aglaia hiernii — Edible Plant | Edible Plant Database

Summary

Aglaia hiernii is a species of flowering plant in the family Meliaceae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Description

A tree. It grows 30 m tall. The trunk can be 30 cm across. The crown is broad and rounded. Trees are separately male and female. It has broad compound leaves. The fruit are oval and yellow or brown. They are 5 cm long by 3.5 cm wide and have a single large seed.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. A sweet flavour. The brown or yellow, obovoid fruits are 50mm long and 35mm wide containing a single, large seed that is surrounded by a relatively thick layer of pale orange, edible flesh.

Traditional Uses

The layer of orange flesh around the seed is sweet and edible.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The genus 'Aglaia' is the only source of the group of about 50 known representatives of compounds that bear a unique cyclopenta[b]tetrahydrobenzofuran skeleton. These compounds are more commonly called rocaglate or rocaglamide derivatives, or flavaglines, and most have been found to have potent insecticidal properties, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial or anthelmintic bioactivity. Several of them exhibit pronounced cytotoxic activity against a range of human cancers. Since the first representative in this group was only discovered in 1982, this is one of the few recent examples of a completely new class of plant secondary metabolites of biological promise (see B. G. Wang et al., Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 32: 1223-1226. 2004; L.W. Chaidir et al., J. Nat. Prod. 64: 1216-1220. 2001).

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows between 20-1,700 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia,

Cultivation

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Other Uses

The genus 'Aglaia' is the only source of the group of about 50 known representatives of compounds that bear a unique cyclopenta[b]tetrahydrobenzofuran skeleton. These compounds are more commonly called rocaglate or rocaglamide derivatives, or flavaglines, and most have been found to have potent insecticidal properties, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial or anthelmintic bioactivity. Several of them exhibit pronounced cytotoxic activity against a range of human cancers. Since the first representative in this group was only discovered in 1982, this is one of the few recent examples of a completely new class of plant secondary metabolites of biological promise (see B. G. Wang et al., Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 32: 1223-1226. 2004; L.W. Chaidir et al., J. Nat. Prod. 64: 1216-1220. 2001).