Deeringia amaranthoides (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Deeringia amaranthoides (Lamk) Merr.
- Protologue: Interpr. Herb. amboin.: 211 (1917).
- Family: Amaranthaceae
- Chromosome number: 2n= 18
Synonyms
- Achyranthes amaranthoides Lamk (1785),
- Deeringia celosoides R.Br. (1810),
- Deeringia baccata (Retz.) Moq. (1849).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: bayam besar (Malay), pancaluhur (Sundanese), bayem luur (Balinese)
- Malaysia: bajam besar, bajam pohon
- Philippines: ditiran, sili-silihan (Tagalog), aribugbug (Iloko)
- Thailand: khruea yaang (north-eastern), phaahom plaa (peninsular)
- Vietnam: dền leo.
Origin and geographic distribution
D. amaranthoides occurs from India to China, throughout Malesia to Australia; there are no records from Borneo or the Moluccas.
Uses
In the Philippines, a decoction of the leaves of D. amaranthoides is considered a cure for dysentery. In Malaysia, the plant is thought to be poisonous. The powder of the root is inhaled to cause violent sneezing. In Java, it is drawn into the nostrils, together with vinegar and onion juice, to get rid of mucous obstructions and the headache caused by the obstruction. The leaves are applied to sores, and an infusion is given to children for chicken pox. The leaves are also externally applied for stomach-ache. In the Solomon Islands, the sap from the cut plants is used to wash pigs with skin diseases. In the western Himalayas, the leaves are applied to inflammatory tumours. In India, fresh leaves are applied on the forehead for fever and headache.
The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a vegetable, mixed with other vegetables because of their rather unpleasant taste.
Production and international trade
D. amaranthoides is only traded on a local scale.
Properties
Several complex triterpenoid saponins and several triterpene glycosides of olean-12-en-28-oate were isolated from the fruits of D. amaranthoides. The leaves probably also contain a considerable amount of alkaloids (without further specification). In older literature, the plant is reported to possess anticancer and spermicidal activity.
Description
- A perennial, scandent or clambering shrub, often with long, pendulous branches, 2-6(-15) m long; stem in higher part slightly angular, finely appressed pubescent when young, terete and glabrous when old.
- Leaves alternate, ovate to oblong-sublanceolate, 4-15 cm × 2-8 cm, base acute, obtuse, rounded or subtruncate, often unequal, tapering towards the apex or acuminate, mucro long, often caducous, both surfaces thinly patently pilose, later glabrescent, midrib distinct beneath; petiole 1-6 cm long.
- Inflorescence an axillary or terminal raceme, very often divaricately branched, 5-28(-35) cm long, highest racemes usually collected in a terminal panicle, 15-75 cm long, rather dense or lax in the lower part, raceme often more than 50-flowered, peduncle absent or up to 8 cm long, appressed pubescent; bracts narrowly triangular, very acute, 1.5 mm long.
- Flowers small, solitary, sometimes clustered, malodorous, subtended by 2 bracteoles, ovate, acute, 1 mm long; pedicel 0.7-2 mm long; tepals 5, free, oval-oblong, 1.5-2.5 mm long, obtuse or rounded, pale green, margin white, often tinged red in fruit, reflexed; stamens 5, filaments at base united into a cup, free parts 1.5-2.7 mm long, anthers 2-celled; ovary superior, ovoid, funicle short, stigmas 3, greenish-white, 1-1.5 mm long, recurved on the fruit.
- Fruit a berry, globose-obovoid, 4-7 mm in diameter, indehiscent, bright red, falling out of the persistent perianth when ripe.
- Seeds (1-)5(-9), circular with emarginate base, 1-1.3 mm in diameter, almost smooth, brownish-black.
- Seedling with epigeal germination.
Growth and development
D. amaranthoides in Java flowers from April to November.
Other botanical information
Deeringia consists of about 7 species, occurring in the tropics of the Old World, from Madagascar to Australia. In Malesia, 4 species occur, only 1 with medicinal use.
Ecology
D. amaranthoides occurs in teak forest, open mixed forest, secondary forest and their borders, tall brushwood, hedges, mainly in somewhat drier regions, often on calcareous soils, from sea-level up to 1500 m altitude.
Propagation and planting
D. amaranthoides is propagated by seed.
Husbandry
D. amaranthoides is sometimes planted in hedges for medicinal use.
Harvesting
Young shoots, leaves or fruits of D. amaranthoides are harvested from the wild or from planted hedges when needed.
Genetic resources and breeding
D. amaranthoides is fairly common throughout its area of distribution, and does not seem liable to genetic erosion. No breeding programmes are known to exist.
Prospects
Very little is known about the phytochemistry or pharmacology of D. amaranthoides. Although saponins in general can display a multitude of pharmacological effects, no information is available on the specific types found in its fruits. Therefore, more research is needed to fully evaluate possible interesting effects.
Literature
- Backer, C.A., 1949. Deeringia. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 4. Noordhoff-Kolff, Djakarta, Indonesia. pp. 70-73.
- Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963. Flora of Java. Vol. 1. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. p. 233.
- Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. Vol. 1. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. p. 604.
- Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. p. 11.
- Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. p. 273.
- Sati, O.P., Bahuguna, S., Uniyal, S., Sakakibara, J., Kaiya, T. & Nakamura, A., 1990. A new saponin from Deeringia amaranthoides. Journal of Natural Products 53(2): 466-469.
Other selected sources
- [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
- [392] Hartwell, J.L., 1967. Plants used against cancer - a survey. Journal of Natural Products 30(4): 389.
Authors
- N.O. Aguilar