Aglaia elliptica

Aglaia elliptica is a species of plant in the family Meliaceae. It is a tree native to Brunei, Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and the Lesser Sunda Islands), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak), Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand. Two subspecies are accepted: Aglaia elliptica subsp. clementis (Merr.) Pannell (synonym Aglaia clementis Merr.) – Borneo and Sulawesi Aglaia elliptica subsp. elliptica – Borneo, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Thailand The species was first described by Carl Ludwig Blume in 1825.

Description

A large tree. It grows up to 25 m tall. The trunk is 50 cm across. It has buttresses. The leaves are alternate and compound. They have 5-7 pairs of leaflets and one at the end. They are smooth and pointed at both ends. They can have rusty hairs. The flowers are small, yellow and borne in large compound flower clusters. The fruit is an almost round berry. It is red. It has a hard outer covering. It is 2-2.5 cm across. It has one seed. The layer around the seed or aril is edible.

Edible Uses

Fruit. The fleshy pulp (aril) around the seeds is edible, with a flavour resembling cranberries. The aril can be sweet or acidic. The orange, ellipsoid fruits are up to 35mm long and 30mm wide, containing 1 - 2 seeds.

Traditional Uses

The fleshy portion of the fruit is eaten. It has a flavour like cranberry.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The bark and leaves are used medicinally.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forests up to a medium altitude. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level. In Thailand it grows between 30-1,400 m above sea level. It is often in swamp forest and places that are occasionally flooded. It is common and widely distributed throughout the Philippines.

Where It Grows

Asia, Brunei, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds.

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 a pale yellow, pinkish-red or a dark, reddish-brown. The wood is moderately heavy, hard and durable. It is used as timber, but the supply is scarce. It is used for furniture, general construction and agricultural implements. We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but the general description of wood from trees in this genus is as follows:- The heartwood is pale red to deep coppery red; it is clearly but not sharply distinguished from the pinkish or pale red sapwood. The texture is fine and dense; the grain often distinctly crossed and generally wavy, forming a regular diagonal wavy ribbon on radial sections; on tangential sections, an irregular, curly figure, marked with characteristic fine zigzag lines; most species have a distinct, even pungent, aromatic odour resembling both cedar and camphor. The wood is hard to very hard; heavy to very heavy; durable, the heartwood rarely if ever being attacked by termites, nor even the sapwood by beetles. It seasons well. It can be rather difficult to work, the curly and wavy grain requiring a very sharp and fine-set plane to surface it well; it can, however, take a very smooth surface under sharp tools. An attractive, strong and durable wood, individual species rarely come into the market, except in occasional very small lots. They are often well known locally for their strength and durability, being favourites for house posts, beams, window sills, windows, agricultural implements, etc. When available in sufficient size, the wood is suitable for a wide range of uses, including posts; ties; bridge and wharf building; beams, joists, rafters; flooring; sheathing and ceiling; fine furniture and cabinetwork.

Production

In Thailand flowering is most common between April to July and fruiting March to July.

Notes

The bark and leaves are used in medicine. There are about 104 Aglaia species. They occur in Asia and the Pacific.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Hagasan, Mamonak, Melatumbaga, Pohon langsat bajing, Pohon langsat gajah, Sang khong, Sang khriat, Sang khriat cho, Tanglar

References (12)

• Argent, G et al, nd, Manual of the Larger and More important non Dipterocarp Trees of Central Kalimantan Indonesia. Volume 2 Forest Research Institute, Samarinda, Indonesia. p 410
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 14 (As Aglaia harmsiana) (Also as Aglaia micrantha)
• Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 80 (As Aglaia harmsiana)
• Coronel, R.E., 1982, Fruit Collections in the Philippines. IBPGR Newsletter p 8
• Coronel, R.E., 1982, Fruit Collections in the Philippines. IBPGR Newsletter p 8 (As Aglaia langlassei)

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