Gen info
- Archidendron is a genus of flowering plants in the Mimosa subfamily (Mimosoideae) of the pea family, Fabaceae. It includes 98 species.
- Etymology: The genus name Archidendron derives from two words archi, meaning "chief or principal", and dendron, meaning "tree", alluding to an important or prominent tree. The specific epithet ellipticum derives from Latin, meaning 'elliptic', referring to the oval shape of leaflets.

Botany
• Tree to 20 m high, 50 cm in diameter. Branchlets terete, glabrous. Leaves: Inflorescences terminal and axillary at the distal leaves, yellowish sericeous in the distal parts, glabrescent, consisting of pedunculate glomerules aggregated into panicles, c. 50 by 30 cm; Flowers pentamerous, bisexual. Stamens white, c. 6 mm, tube equalling the corolla-tube. Ovary solitary, glabrous. Seeds black with a bluish bloom, ellipsoid, c. 17-21 by 10—11(—15) mm. (Flora Malesiana)

• Trees, small, to 20 m tall. Branchlets terete, with white lenticels; young branchlets brown pubescent. Pinnae 1 or 2 pairs; glands at upper part of petiole and rachis; petiolules 3-4 mm; leaflets 2 or 3 pairs, opposite or subopposite, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 7-18 × 3-9 cm, both surfaces glabrous, base cu­neate to broadly cuneate, apex acuminate to long acuminate. Heads 2-6-flowered, arranged in terminal and axillary panicles. Calyx 4.5-5 mm; teeth 0.5-1 mm. Corolla 4.5-5 mm; lobes 2-2.5 mm. Staminal tube equaling corolla tube. Ovary puberulent. Legume curved into a circle, 4.5-8 mm in diam.; valves 2-3.5 cm wide. Seeds 1.7-2.1 × 1-1.1 cm. Fl. and fr. year-round. (Flora of China)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (1) (2)
- Also native to Borneo, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Jawa, Malaya, Nicobar Is., Sumatera, Thailand. (1)
- An understorey tree in primary and secondary rain forest, common on forest margins and along rivers and creeks; growing in sandy or clayey, brown or black soils, at elevations up to 600 m. (9)

Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of ethanol extract revealed presence of terpenoid, steroid, flavonoid, and phenolic compounds. (see study below) (8)
- Study isolated a series of ester saponins, elliptosides A-J. (see study below) (5)

Properties
- Studies have suggested lipid lowering, proteinase inhibitory, insect antifeedant, antitumor, bioinsecticidal properties

Parts used
Leaves, stems, seeds.

Uses
Edibility
- Fruits reportedly edible. (11)
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Smoke from burned dried leaves are inhaled as treatment for intoxication by intoxicant foods. (5)
- Leaves are pounded with water and rubbed on head as lather treatment of head lice. (5)
- In Indonesia, stems and crushed and squeezed, and expressed liquid used as eyedrops for treating conjunctivitis. (7)
Others
- Poison: Roots used as fish poison.  (3)
- Wood: Heartwood is dark yellowish; sapwood pale yellow to whitish. Used for light construction, interior joinery, furniture, cabinet work, canoes, fencing, knife handles, boxes. (5)
- Agroforestry: Used as windbreak and for erosion control.

Studies
• Antitumor Activity / Elliptoside Saponins: Study isolated a series of new ester saponins, elliptosides A-J. The saponins were cytotoxic to certain renal and melanoma cancer cell lines in the NCI's 60-cell line human tumor screen. Elliptoside A showed in vivo antitumor activity against the LOX melanoma cell line. (5)
• Proteinase Inhibitor / Insect Anti-Feedant / Seeds: Study isolated a serine proteinase inhibitor from the seeds of A. ellipticum (AeTI). N-terminal sequence showed high homology with other serine proteinase inhibitors belonging to the Mimosoideae subfamily. AeTI inhibited trypsin in stoichiometric ration of 1:1, but lacked similar stoichiometry against chymotrypsin. The AeTI retained 70% trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activity after being stored at -20°C for more than a year.  Studies on insecticidal properties of AeTI indicate it to be a very potent insect anti-feedant. (6)
• Lipid Lowering: Untreated hypercholesterolemia can lead to atherosclerosis.  Study evaluated four P. ellipticum extracts by HMG-CoA reductase assay. The ethanol extract (EA) at 500 µg/mL exhibited superior inhibition properties 80.9%, compared to 0.223 µg/mL of pravastatin (control) which showed 78.1% inhibition of enzymatic activity. Of the ethanol extract fractions, Fraction 7A at 150 µg/mL was the most promising bioactive fraction with 78.7 % inhibition. The EA exhibited good overall antioxidant activity by FRAP, ß-carotene, and DPPH assays. Presence of terpenoid, steroid, flavonoids and phenolic compounds may work synergistically with the extract to prevent binding of HMG-CoA to HMG-CoA reductase. (see constituents above) (8)
• Bioinsecticidal / Larval Development of Spodoptera litura: In vitro and in vivo study evaluated the roles of serine proteases involved in the digestion mechanism of the cutworm Spodoptera litura following feeding of plant protease inhibitors. A trypsin inhibitor was purified from A. ellipticum (AeTI) and its bioinsecticidal properties compared with Soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (SBTI). AeTI inhibited the trypsin-like activities of the midgut proteases of 5th instar larvae of S. litura by over 70%. Feeding experiments suggested a dose-dependent decrease for both larval weight and % survival of larva fed on diet containing AeTI.  Study suggests that although early (1st to 3rd) larval instars are susceptible to the trypsin inhibitory action of AeTI, the later instars may facilitate the development of new serine proteases insensitive to the inhibitor. (12)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Archidendron ellipticum  / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Fabaceae: Archidendron ellipticum / Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
(3)
Archidendron ellipticum / AsianPlantNet
(4)
Isolation and characterization of novel cytotoxic saponins from Archidendron ellipticum / John A Beutler, Yoel Kashman, Lewis K Pannell, John H Cardellina II, Michael R Boyd et al / Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 1997; 5(8): pp 1509-1517 / DOI: 10.1016/S0968-0896(97)00098-9
(5)
Archidendron ellipticum / Kem Fern: Tropical Plants Database / Useful Tropical Plants
(6)
A Kunitz proteinase inhibitor from Archidendron ellipticum seeds: Purification, characterization, and kinetic properties / Arindam Bhattacharyya, Suman Mazumdar, Sudeshna Mazumdar-Leighton, Cherukuri R Babu / Phytochemistry, 2006; 67(3): pp 232-241 / DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.11.010
(7)
ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS INURUG INDIGENOUS VILLAGE, BOGOR DISTRICT, INDONESIA / Sri Endarti Rahayu, Rosalia Purba, Ikhsan Matondang / Plant Archives, 2021; 21(2): pp 116-125 / eISSN: 2581-6063 / pISSN: 0972-5210
(8)
Crude Ethanol Extract of Pithecellobium ellipticum as a Potential Lipid-Lowering Treatment for Hypercholesterolaemia / Janet PC Wong, Sumi Wijaya, TEng-Jin Khoo et al / Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014 / DOI: 10.1155/2014/492704
(9)
Archidendron ellipticum / Ken Fern: Tropical Plants Database / Useful Tropical Plants
(10)
Bioactive Complex Triterpenoid Saponins from the Leguminosae Family / Jose P Parente, Bernadete P da Silva / NPC: Natural Product Communications
(11)
Archidendron ellipticum / Demplot Gemah Ripah / RESTOR
(12)
Bioinsecticidal activity of Archidendron ellipticum trypsin inhibitor on growth and serine digestive enzymes during larval development of Spodoptera litura / Arindam Bhattacharyya, Sudeshna Mazundar Leighton, CR Babu / Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol.,  2007; 145(4): pp 669-677 / PMID: 17434810 / DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2007.03.003

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