| Gmelina arborea | |
|---|---|
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| Gmelina arborea tree plantation | |
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| Gmelina arborea sapling from Mindanao, Philippines | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Gmelina |
| Species: | G. arborea |
| Binomial name | |
| Gmelina arborea | |
| Synonyms | |
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Gmelina arborea, (in English beechwood, gmelina, goomar teak, Kashmir tree, Malay beechwood, white teak, yamane [3] ), locally known as gamhar, is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the family Lamiaceae. [4]
Gmelina arborea grows naturally throughout India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and in southern provinces of China. It is found at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 metres (5,000 ft). [1] Since the 1960s, it has been introduced extensively as fast-growing timber trees in Brazil, Gambia, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Malawi, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone. It is also planted in gardens and avenues. [5] [6]
The species is fast-growing and thus raised in large-scale plantations to produce wood for construction, crafts, paper pulp, fuel, and charcoal. It produces high-quality wood used in the manufacture of furniture and to make plywood, matches and agricultural implements. The nectar of the flowers yields high-quality honey. [7]
The Lion Throne, the most important, and last surviving, of the eight royal thrones of Myanmar, now in the National Museum in Yangon, is carved from Gmelina arborea wood. [8] [9]
Lignans, such as 6" - bromo - isoarboreol, 4-hydroxysesamin, 4,8-dihydroxysesamin, 1,4-dihydroxysesamin (gummadiol), 2-piperonyl-3-hydroxymethyl-4-(α-hydroxy-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran and the 4-O-glucoside of 4-epigummadiol, can be isolated from the heartwood of Gmelina arborea. [10] The parent compounds are arboreol or gmelanone. [11]
Umbelliferone 7-apiosylglucoside can be isolated from the root. [12]
Five constituents, isolated from the heartwood of G. arborea, (+)-7′-O-ethyl arboreol, (+)-paulownin, (+)-gmelinol, (+)-epieudesmin and (−)-β-sitosterol, show antifungal activity against Trametes versicolor . [13]