Cnestis palala (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Cnestis palala (Lour.) Merr.
- Protologue: Journ. Roy. As. Soc. Straits Br. 85: 201 (1922).
- Family: Connaraceae
- Chromosome number: 2n= unknown
Synonyms
Cnestis diffusa Blanco (1837), Cnestis platantha Griffith (1854).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: andor balimbing, baih patuh senggulin, jukut abang (Sumatra)
- Malaysia: garing-garing, sembelit merah, sembelit kecil (Peninsular)
- Philippines: kalakalamyasan (Tagalog), salsaladoi (Iloko), palo santo (Sp)
- Laos: ‘hon kai¹, ‘sã mãt, bén bit
- Thailand: kra phaak laak (Trat), ngonkai (central), maa daeng (peninsular)
- Vietnam: trường khế, dây vắp cầy.
Origin and geographic distribution
C. palala occurs in the Andaman Islands, southern Burma (Myanmar), southern Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, the northern part of the Philippines, and Sulawesi.
Uses
In Malaysia, a decoction of the roots is drunk to treat stomach-ache, chronic colonic obstruction, urinary troubles and, together with Phyllanthus pulcher Wallich ex Muell. Arg., malaria. It is also applied as a tonic after childbirth, and as an anticoagluant as a remedy for stroke and blood clotting. External uses include treating sprains with a foment, and gonorrhoea with a poultice. In Laos, an infusion of the roots is used internally to treat dysentery, and a decoction of the leaves externally to treat scabies and wounds. The seeds have been used in southern Vietnam to poison dogs.
Several Cnestis species are used in traditional medicine in Africa, e.g. C. corniculata Lamk, the leaves of which are applied against blennorrhoea, C. urens Gilg, the seeds of which are used to treat stomach-ache and toothache, and especially C. ferruginea Vahl ex DC., which is administered for a vast array of complaints; the fruit pulp is commonly used to clean the teeth. The fruits of C. polyphylla Lamk have been applied in Madagascar to poison dogs and rats. The stems of African Cnestis are sometimes used as a rope to climb palm trees, and to make baskets.
Properties
Seeds and bark of several Cnestis species have been reported to be poisonous. In tests, the extracts were fatal to rabbits and mice after convulsive attacks. The seeds of C. palala showed acute toxicity in tests with dogs. An unusual amino acid, L-methionine sulfoximine, has been isolated from the fresh seeds of C. palala . A neurotoxin also identified as methionine sulfoximine has been isolated from C. polyphylla root bark at 0.4% yield. This compound seems common in Connaraceae . The seeds of C. polyphylla yielded a compound with a cytotoxic effect on a hepatoma tissue culture. The toxic compound inhibits protein synthesis in a hepatoma tissue culture as well as in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate assay.
Extracts of C. ferruginea showed antimicrobial activity; they were markedly active against Aspergillus niger , dermatophytes and several bacteria. General phytochemical screening of the leaves of this species showed the presence of glycosidic anthraquinones, sterols, tannins and flavonoids, but not of alkaloids or saponins.
Botany
A small to large liana up to 25 m long, or a shrub, often with climbing branches, rarely a small tree up to 10 m tall; branchlets densely brown-pubescent, later more or less glabrescent. Leaves imparipinnate, 6-21-jugate; petiole 1-7 cm long; stipules absent; lateral leaflets narrowly ovate or narrowly oblong to ovate or oblong, (1-)1.5-8 cm × 0.7-2.5 cm, terminal leaflet narrowly elliptical or narrowly obovate to elliptical or obovate, 3-8 cm × 1-3 cm, leaflets densely pilose below; petiolules 0.5-1.5 mm long. Inflorescence an axillary raceme or panicle, on older branches, densely yellowish-brown pubescent, up to 35-flowered. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, obscurely heterodistylous; pedicel articulated; sepals narrowly ovate to narrowly oblong, 2-5 mm long; petals ovate or elliptical to narrowly oblong, (0.5-)2-4(-5) mm long, white to creamy; stamens 10, slightly differing in length in the 2 whorls; carpels 5, free, superior. Fruit consisting of 1-3 ellipsoid to pyriform follicles 2.5-6 cm long, densely reddish-hairy outside and with long yellowish hairs inside, each follicle 1-seeded. Seed ovoid, 1.5-3 cm long, black, with an arilloid at base; cotyledons thin, veined; endosperm abundant.
Cnestis consists of 13 species, all restricted to Africa (including Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands) except the Asiatic C. palala . C. palala is a variable species, in leaf characteristics as well as in the shape and size of inflorescences, petals and follicles. Several distinct species have been distinguished for South-East Asia, but these are connected by intermediates. C. palala shares its extreme variability with many other Connaraceae species both in Asia and Africa.
Ecology
C. palala occurs in primary and secondary rain forest up to 500 m altitude, also in riverine and marsh forest, sometimes in dry forest and thickets.
Genetic resources
C. palala is widespread in different habitats, and does not seem to be easily liable to genetic erosion. Its apparently wide genetic variability, which is connected with distribution (e.g. comparatively long petals in mainland South-East Asia and the Philippines, short ones in Sumatra and Borneo) warrants more research, also in connection with phytochemistry.
Prospects
C. palala is fairly widely used in traditional medicine, as are other Cnestis species in Africa. It seems to have interesting properties, which however have been little studied. Its uses in treating malaria, blood clotting, urinary troubles and chronic colonic obstructions justify more research.
Literature
247, 657, 707.
Other selected sources
113, 120, 121, 249, 250, 423, 700, 731.
Main genus page
Authors
H.C. Ong
