Common Name:

General Information

Aglaia sapindina is usually a small tree growing 4 - 12 metres tall, though can sometimes reach up to 30 metres. The bole can be up to 22cm in diameter[].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. The wood is also sometimes traded[].
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

Sawdust from the wood can cause contact dermatitis[].

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Habitat

Riverine forests; more open, secondary forest; swamps; alluvial flats; by beaches and along paths; in complex, mesophyll vine-forest; growing on limestone and sandy clay with granite; at elevations up to 3,800 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The twigs, especially of plants in New Guinea, are sometimes inhabited by ants[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

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 sapwood is yellowish-pink, brown or white[]. When trees grow large enough, the wood can be used for timber[].

Propagation

Seed -

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