 Gen info
- Turraea is a genus of plants in the family Meliaceae, native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The genus contains approximately 70 species. (3)
- Etymology: The origin of the genus name Turraea is uncertain, but probably for the Italian botanist and physician Antonio Turra (1736-1797). His most famous publication was Floræ italicæ prodromus (A Guide to Italian Flora), a catalogue of 1,700 species of Italian plants. The specific epithet pubescens derives from Latin, meaning "reaching puberty", i.e., becoming hairy. (4)
- Turraea pubescens is the only true Turraea in Asia and is closely related to some of the East African species.
Botany
• Shrubs 2-3 m tall. Young branches brown, with longitudinal stripes, covered with yellow trichomes, glabrescent. Petiole usually 5-10 mm, yellow pubescent; leaf blade elliptic, ovate, or sometimes obovate, 5-10 × 2-4.5 cm, both surfaces pubescent especially when young, secondary veins 8-10 on each side of midvein and abaxially ± prominent, base cuneate to sometimes nearly rounded, margin entire or sometimes crenate to sinuous, apex acuminate to acute. Racemes axillary, corymbiform, 4- or 5-flowered; peduncle very short, pubescent; bractlets lanceolate, pubescent. Pedicel ca. 1.2 cm. Calyx campanulate, 2-3 mm, outside pubescent, 5-lobed, lobes triangular. Petals 5, white, distinct, linear to spatulate, 3-4.5 cm, apex acute. Staminal tube cylindric, long, thin, apex inflated and 4- or 5-lobed, lobes 1-2 × as long as anthers, glabrous, and tips usually 2-cleft; anthers 10, inserted below lobes of tube. Disk ca. 1 mm high, glabrous. Ovary short, 5-locular, with 2 anatropous ovules per locule; style long, exserted from filament tube; stigma ampuliform. Capsule globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., 5-locular, with 1 seed per locule. Seeds oblong to ellipsoid, ca. 7 × 3 mm, ± curved and lunate. (Flora of China)
 • Deciduous straggling shrub or tree to 6 m high. Leaves ovate to oblong, 1.5–10 cm long, 1–6 cm wide, rounded to cuneate at base, obtuse to acuminate at apex, subglabrous to subvelutinous abaxially; major veins c. 5 or 6 on each side; petiole 5–9 mm long. Flowers in condensed cymes, sweetly scented; pedicels 15–30 mm long. Calyx cupular, 3–4 mm long, pubescent, 5-lobed to ½ way. Petals linear-spathulate, 30–45 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide at widest, white. Staminal tube cylindrical to weakly obconical, white, usually with 10 appendages, sometimes lobed; anthers 10. Ovary 5-locular; style long, exserted. Capsule globose, to 18 mm long, vermilion; valves 5, reflexed starwise in dehiscence. Seeds c. 6 mm long with shiny black testa. (Flora of Australia)
Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- In forested slopes, ascending to 700 m.
- In Luzon: Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, Zambales, Marinduque. (2)
- Also native to Cambodia, China Southeast, Hainan, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., New Guinea, New South Wales, Queensland, Thailand, Vietnam. (1)
 Constituents
- Study of twigs and leaves of T. pubescens isolated 8 new ring B-seco limonoids, turrapubesic acids A-C (1-3) and turrapubesins C-G (4-8), along with turraflorin E and isoazadironolide. (see study below) (5)
- Study of twigs of T. pubescens isolated four new compounds, including 3 new steroids (1-3), and two new natural products (4,5), along with three known steroids (7-9). (see study below) (6)
- Study of twigs isolated 11 new limonoids, turrapubins A-K (1-11), and three new triterpenoids (`2014), along with 14 known compounds. (see study below) (7)
- Study isolated a novel γ-lactone derivative, turranin G (1) and five known compounds, dehydro-diconiferyl alcohol (2), turrapubesin F (3), syringylglycerol (4), sinapyl alcohol (5), and guaia-cylglycerol (6) from twigs of T. pubescens. (see study below) (8)
- Study of Turraea pubescens isolated three new triterpenoids, turrapubesols A-C (1-3), and one new sesquiterpenoid, 1α,4α-dihydroxyeudesman-11-ene (4), along with 12 known terpenoids. (see study below) (9)
Properties
- Studies have suggest anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity properties.
Parts used
Twigs and leaves.
Uses
Edibility
- Fruits is edible; pickled.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
-
In Chinese folklore mediicine, twigs and leaves used for treatment of dysentery, pharyngolaryngitis, and traumatic hemorrhage.
Others
- Dye: Fruit yields a dye. A reddish-purple coloration is imparted to potash solution where the seeds are steeped.
Studies
• Limonoids: Study of twigs and leaves of T. pubescens isolated 8 new ring B-seco limonoids, turrapubesic acids A-C (1-3) and turrapubesins C-G (4-8), along with turraflorin E and isoazadironolide. Cytotoxicity of the isolates against P-388 and A-549 was evaluated. (5)
• Anti-Inflammatory / Steroids / Twigs: Study of twigs of T. pubescens isolated four new compounds, including 3 new steroids (1-3), and two new natural products (4,5), along with three known steroids
(7-9). Compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells with IC50 of 11.5 µM. (6)
• Bioactive Limonoids / Anti-Inflammatory / Cytotoxicity / Twigs: Study of twigs isolated 11 new limonoids, turrapubins A-K (1-11), and three new triterpenoids (`2014), along with 14 known compounds. Compounds 12, 16, 18 and 19 exhibited inhibitory activities against lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells. Compounds 2, 11, 18, and26 exhibited inhibitory activities against brine shrimp larvae (Artemia salina) at 100 ppm with corrected mortality ranging from 81.7 to 100%. (7)
• Turranin / Inhibitory Against LPS-Induced Nitric Oxide / Twigs: Study isolated a novel γ-lactone derivative, turranin G (1) and five known compounds from twigs of T. ppubescens. Compound 2 (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol) exhibited inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide in RAW264.7 cells with IC50 of 18.8 µM. (see constituents above) (8)
• Cytotoxic Terpenoids: Study of Turraea pubescens isolated three new triterpenoids, turrapubesols A-C (1-3), and one new sesquiterpenoid, 1α,4α-dihydroxyeudesman-11-ene (4), along with 12 known terpenoids. Some of the terpenoiods exhibited cytotoxicity against P-388 cell line. (9)
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
