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''Gmelina arborea'', (in English beechwood, gmelina, goomar teak, Kashmir tree, Malay beechwood, white teak, yamane ), locally known as gamhar, is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the family Lamiaceae.
''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 . Since the 1960s, it has been introduced extensively as fast-growing
Crop index at the Purdue University
Distribution and habitat
''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 . Since the 1960s, it has been introduced extensively as fast-growing timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
trees in Brazil, Gambia, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Malawi, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone. It is also planted in gardens and avenues.
Utilization of the species
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.Chemistry
Lignan
The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...
s, 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''. The parent compounds are arboreol or gmelanone
Gmelanone is a lignan found in the heartwood of ''Gmelina arborea''. Arboreol can be transformed by acid catalysis
In acid catalysis and base catalysis, a chemical reaction is catalyzed by an acid or a base. By Brønsted–Lowry acid–base t ...
.
Umbelliferone 7-apiosylglucoside can be isolated from the root.
Five constituents, isolated from the heartwood of ''G. arborea'', (+)-7′-O-ethyl arboreol, (+)- paulownin, (+)- gmelinol, (+)-epi eudesmin and (−)-β-sitosterol
β-sitosterol (beta-sitosterol) is one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol. It is a white, waxy powder with a characteristic odor, and is one of the components of the food additive E499 ...
, show antifungal activity against ''Trametes versicolor
''Trametes versicolor''also known as ''Coriolus versicolor'' and ''Polyporus versicolor''is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Meaning 'of several colors', ''versicolor'' reliably describes this fungus that displays a varie ...
''.Antifungal activity of constituents from the heartwood of Gmelina arborea: Part 1. Sensitive antifungal assay against Basidiomycetes. F. Kawamura, S. Ohara and A. Nishida, Holzforschung, June 2005, Volume 58, Issue 2, Pages 189–192,
References
*GAMHAR (''Gmelina arborea''): Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, DehradunCrop index at the Purdue University
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311345 arborea Flora of China Flora of tropical Asia Plants used in Ayurveda Symbols of Meghalaya