Agelaea macrophylla (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Agelaea macrophylla (Zoll.) Leenh.
- Protologue: Fl. Mal. Ser. I, Vol. 5: 502 (1958).
- Family: Connaraceae
- Chromosome number: 2n= unknown
Synonyms
Agelaea wallichii Hook.f. (1876), Agelaea trinervis (Llanos) Merr. (1918), Castanola macrophylla Schellenb. (1938).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: areuy kokotokan (Sundanese), anceng (Javanese), akar tanduk (Sumatra)
- Malaysia: akar pinang kutai, akar nyamok, kelentit nyamok (Peninsular)
- Philippines: tayabak, ulali (Tagalog), dagtung (Manobo)
- Thailand: thao som ching (Surat Thani), ma khroh (Krabi)
- Vietnam: dây trường ngân.
Origin and geographic distribution
A. macrophylla occurs in Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, the Moluccas and the Philippines.
Uses
In Malaysia, a decoction of A. macrophylla roots has been used to treat rheumatism and stomach-ache, and, together with Smilax sp., as an aphrodisiac. In the Moluccas (Seram) the leaves are made into a poultice, which is applied to wounds and cuts; the warm liquid from boiled roots is used in the same way.
The stem can be used as a rope; it is strong and durable, also under water, and can be used to bind rafts and nets. The oil from the seeds has been used as lamp-oil in Vietnam.
Properties
Very little research has been done on the phytochemistry of Connaraceae in general and none at all on Asian species. Tannins are known to be common, whereas bark, fruits and seeds are often toxic, and sometimes used to poison mammals such as rats and dogs. Glabrin, a low molecular weight (<500) compound with a possible amino acid nature, has been isolated as the toxic principle from the bark of several Connaraceae species from Madagascar, including A. pentagyna (Lamk) Baillon. This species is used in Ghana to treat mouth infections. However, in a test, extracts from roots, stems and leaves did not show antibacterial activity, although extracts from several other Connaraceae species did show significant antibacterial activity.
Botany
A large liana, with stem up to 4 cm in diameter. Leaves trifoliolate; petiole up to 15 cm long; stipules absent; leaflets ovate to elliptical-oblong, 4-34 cm × 2-14 cm, entire, upper surface with many mucous cells looking like small pits in dried material. Inflorescence axillary, paniculate, often several together in the axil of a sometimes rudimentary leaf, up to 5 cm long. Flowers bisexual, (4-)5-merous, up to 6 mm long, sweet-scented, more or less heterodistylous; pedicels jointed; sepals nearly free; petals much longer than sepals, free, whitish; stamens 10, shortly united at base, 5 slightly longer than other 5; carpels 5, superior, free. Fruit consisting of 1-5 follicles, these obovoid, with or without a beak at apex, velutinous, orange to red, dehiscing by a ventral suture, 1-seeded. Seeds with fleshy, yellow to red testa in lower part and black, glossy testa in upper part, without endosperm; cotyledons thick, planoconvex.
A. macrophylla shows a type of heterostyly which can be considered as transitional between heterodistylous and heterotristylous.
Agelaea is a genus of 6 species, 4 of which occur in tropical Africa and 2 in South-East Asia. Several species are extremely variable and consequently numerous species have been described in the past. A. macrophylla belongs to the section Troostwykia , together with the only other South-East Asian Agelaea species, A. borneensis (Hook.f.) Merr., and the African A. paradoxa Gilg.
Ecology
A. macrophylla occurs in all kinds of forest, primary as well as secondary, on marshy soils to limestone rocks, up to 800 m altitude.
Genetic resources
A. macrophylla is common in all types of forest and has a large area of distribution. It is not threatened or liable to genetic erosion.
Prospects
Too little is known about the phytochemistry and biological activity of A. macrophylla to judge its prospects as a medicinal plant.
Literature
79, 96, 113, 247.
Other selected sources
121, 249, 250, 331.
Main genus page
Authors
R.H.M.J. Lemmens
