Aglaia tomentosa

Aglaia tomentosa is a species of plant in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Description

A medium sized tree. It grows 20 m tall. The trunk is 40 cm across. The leaves are alternate and compound and hairy with 5 to 7 leaflets. The leaflets are hairy. The flowers are small and borne in compound flowers clusters. The fruit are red and velvety. It is juicy and about 2 cm across.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The acidic-tasting, gelatinous, translucent covering (aril) around the seed is eaten. It lacks flavour. The fruit is up to 25mm long x 17mm in diameter, containing up to two seeds.

Traditional Uses

The layer around the seed in the fruit is eaten raw.

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. They occur from northern Luzon to southern Mindanao. It grows in forests at low altitudes. In Indonesia it grows up to 2,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Brunei, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, PNG, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Propagation

Seed - germinates easily if it is removed from the fruit flesh and sown whilst still fresh.

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 pale brown or pinkish-brown. The wood is used in house building, but is not durable if exposed to the weather.

Notes

There are about 104 Aglaia species. They occur in Asia and the Pacific.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bayanti, Bunau, Huat ngo, Karamiras, Kumpang penjaru, Lantupak, Mata-mata, Medang bebulu, Nuai fai, Pohon langsat wol, Redan, Sampak tupai, Sang khriat, Segera, Umpong

References (13)

• 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 glomerata)
• Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 80
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 73
• Coronel, R.E., 1982, Fruit Collections in the Philippines. IBPGR Newsletter p 6 (As Aglaia rufa)
• Dodo,2015, Keanekaragaman dan konservasi Tumbuhan Buah Langka Indonesia. Pusat Konservasi Tumbuhan Kebun Raya – LIPI. Warta Kebun Raya 13(2)

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