Gen info
- Antidesma tomentosum is a species of plant in the family Phyllanthaceae.
- The genus was formally described by Linnaeus in 1753.
- Etymology:

Botany
• Antidesma is a variable genus which may be short and shrubby or tall and erect, approaching 30 metres in height. It has large oval shaped leathery evergreen leaves up to about 20 centimetres long and seven wide. The flowers have a strong, somewhat unpleasant scent. The staminate flowers are arranged in small bunches and the pistillate flowers grow on long racemes which will become the long strands of fruit. The fruits are spherical and just under a centimeter wide, hanging singly or paired in long, heavy bunches. They are white when immature and gradually turn red, then black. When they are still white they have sour and astringent taste, sour taste when they are red and have sweet and sour taste when they are black.

• Antidesma tomentosum: Leaves: petioles 3-15(-20) by 2-5 mm; blades elliptic to slightly obovate, ovate or oblong, (3-)5-12(-30) cm wide, length/width ratio (2-)2.5-3.5(-5.5), apically long acuminate-mucronate. Inflorescences: Staminate inflorescences 6-14 cm long, simple, very rarely 2-3 per fascicle. Pistillate inflorescences (5-)10-30 cm long. Infructescences 10-30(-65) cm long; fruiting pedicels 1-7(-23) mm long. Fruits: Fruits obliquely ovoid (mango-shaped) to falcate, often slightly beaked, 5-8(-9) mm wide. (2)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- In mixed lowland to hill dipt3rocarp forest, on clay, sand, and ultrabasic soil, over limestone or sandstone, from sea level up to 800 m. (3)
- Also native to Borneo, Jawa, Malaya, Nicobar Is., Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand. (1)

Constituents
- No studies found.

Properties
- Study suggested antitrypanosmal property.

Parts used
Leaves, roots, bark.

Uses
Edibility
- Fruits are edible.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, roots are chewed for internal pain by external application of mush. Bark is burned and the ash rubbed on the teeth to color them. (2)
Others
- Wood: Hardwood used for making ploughs.

Studies
• Antitrypanosomal / Leaves: In a study of methanol extracts of different plant species, Antidesma tomentosum leaves showed antityrpanosomal activity with IC50 of 0.42 µg/ml, cytotoxicity 52.68, and selectivity index of 125. (7)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Antidesma tomentosum / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Antidesma tomentosum Blume / Asian Plant Net
(3)
Antidesma tomentosum var. tomentosum / Edited by PP Pelser, Nov 2022 / Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
(4)
Malaysian plants with potential in vitro trypanocidal activity / Abd. Latif Mahmod, Getha Krishnasamy, Mohd. Ilham Adenan / Annals of Phytomedicine, 2015; 4(1): pp 6-16 / ISSN: 2393-9885

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)