Family Name
ANNONACEAE
Scientific Name
Artabotrys hexapetalus (L. f.) Bhandari
Synonyms
Annona hexapetalus L. f.(basionym); Annona uncinate Lam; Artabotrys odoratissimus R. Br.; Artabotrys uncinatus (Lam.) Merr.; Unona uncinata Duval; Uvaria sinensis Blanco.
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 or more in diameter, without exudate, smooth with very shallow striations glabrous; outer bark brown, slightly glossy in appearance; inner bark brown. Leaves alternate, 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 subtented 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 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; 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 bark have artabotrine and artabotrinine. Leaf extract contains flavonol glycosides (Singh&Sahai1996) and exhibit toxic activity against phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria (Grainge & Alvarez 1987). An anti-malarial peroxy-containing sesquiterpene has also been isolated from the plants (Xu & Dong 1994). In traditional medicine, the leaf decoctions are used to prevent cholera infection (Connolly 1994).