Family Name
ANNONACEAE
Scientific Name
Artabotrys suaveolens Blume
Synonyms
Artabotrys corniculate Merr.; Artabotrys hamata Vidal; Artabotrys rolfei Vidal; Unona corniculate Blanco Unona suaveolens Blume
Local Names
Alangalang-sonson (Tag.); alangilan (llk.); ilang-ilang tsina (Tag.);ilang-ilang songsong (Tag.)
Botanical Description
A hook-climbing liana. Stem 0.5-1 cm more in diameter, without exudate, smooth with very shallow striation glabrous; outer bark brown, slightly glossy in appearance; inner dark brown. Leaves alternative, slightly glossy, green on both sides, simple, entire, elliptic,apex cuspidate to caudate, base attenuate; blade 4.5-14.6 cm long, 2.3-5 cm broad,glabrous; petiole 0.4-0.7 cm long, 0.15 cm in diameter ,glabrous, wrinkled; venation pinnately netted, brochidodromous with 5-10 pairs of distinct lateral nerves. Inflorescence subtended by hook structures arising near the proximal end of lateral branches. Hook 1.5 cm long, brown, laterally compressed, the tip very sharp. Flowers fragrant, shortly pedicelled, bisexual; sepals 3, valvate, fused at the base, green; petals in 2 whorls of 3 elliptic-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, inflated above and saccate at the base, 2-5 cm long, acute and slightly pubescent, green turning yellow; stamens many; ovaries more than 20, usually 30; ovules 2 per ovary. Fruits 4-10 or more in each peduncle, obovoid, mucronate, 2.5-5 cm long, yellow.
Distribution Ecology
Pantropic. Throughout the Philippines. Found in humid secondary and limestone forests. Occasionally cultivated in Java.
Other Economic Uses
Stem and bark have artabotrine and artabotrinine. Leaf extract contains flavonol glysides (Singh & Sahai 1996) and exhibits toxic activity against phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria (Grainge & Alvarez 1987). An anti-malarial peroxy-containing sesquiterpene has also been isolated from the plant (Xu & Dong 1994). In traditional medicine, the leaf decoctions are used to prevent cholera infection (Connolly 1994).