Aglaia rivularis — Edible Plant | Edible Plant Database

Summary

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

Description

A tree. It grows 15 m tall. The trunk can be 50 cm across and without branches for the first 10 metres. Trees are separately male and female. The leaves are long and narrow. The fruit is oval and 1.5 cm long by 1 cm wide. There is a single seed.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The brown, reddish-brown or yellow, ellipsoid fruit is 15mm long and 8 - 10mm wide, containing a single seed that is covered with an edible flesh.

Traditional Uses

The fleshy layer around the seed is eaten.

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).

Known Hazards

It is a threatened species.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forests along rivers up to 500 m above sea level. It occurs in Kalimantan.

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). The sapwood is pink or almost white. The wood is used for fence posts.