Aglaia argentea

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

Fruit - raw. Eaten by children. The yellow or brown, ovoid fruits are up to 35mm long and 30mm wide, containing 3 seeds. Each seed is completely surrounded by a soft, fleshy, white, sweet or sweet-sour aril.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 150 m above sea level. It grows in rainforest. In Indonesia it grows between sea level and 1,200 m above sea level. In Townsville arboretum.

Andamans, Asia, Australia, Brunei, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nicobar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Thailand,

How to Identify

An evergreen tree. It grows 30 m tall. The trunk is straight. It is 60 cm across. The branches are high up. It can have buttresses 1 m tall. The leaves are 1 m long. It has leaflets along the stalk. The leaflets are 5-30 cm long by 2-11 cm wide. They are pale brown underneath. Young shoots have short brown hairs. The flower are 2-3 cm across. The fruit are about 3 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are cream to brown and have pale brown scales.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from seed.

Medicinal Uses

The plant (part not specified) is used in the treatment of feverish illnesses and in preparations to treat leprosy. 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).

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 timber is not durable. A minor timber species in New Guinea. 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. A good colonizer in regenerating forest. This suggests that the plant has potential for use as a pioneer species when restoring native woodland.

Aglaia argentea is a species of plants in the family Meliaceae. It is a tree found in Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Thailand.

Production

In Thailand it flowers August to December and fruits March to April.

More from Meliaceae

Aglaia ceramica

Aglaia chittagonga

Aglaia coriacea

Aglaia edulis

Langsatan

Aglaia elaeagnoidea

Coastal boodyarra, Droopy leaf

Aglaia elliptica

Malatumbaga