Alchornea trewioides

Alchornea trewioides, commonly known as the "forest Alchornea," is a versatile medicinal plant native to tropical regions. Renowned for its bioactive compounds, it is traditionally used to treat inflammation, skin ailments, and digestive issues. This botanical specimen offers significant pharmacological potential for developing new natural therapeutic treatments.

  • Scientific name: Alchornea trewioides
  • Family: Euphorbiaceae
  • Native range: Asia-Temperate

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it is further categorized into the order Malpighiales and the family Euphorbiaceae. Its specific taxonomic designation is placed within the genus Alchornea.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Malpighiales WCVP
Family Euphorbiaceae WCVP
Genus Alchornea WCVP

Common Names

This plant, Alchornea trewioides, is known by several regional names depending on the language and dialect used. In Mandarin Chinese, it is referred to as 红背山麻杆 (zh, zh-cn, zh-hans), while in Traditional Chinese characters, it is written as 紅背山麻桿 (zh-tw). In the Cantonese language, the name is expressed as 紅背山麻桿 (yue).
Language Common Name Source
zh 红背山麻杆 Wikidata
yue 紅背山麻桿 Wikidata
zh-cn 红背山麻杆 Wikidata
zh-tw 紅背山麻桿 Wikidata
zh-hans 红背山麻杆 Wikidata
zh 红背山麻秆 Wikidata
zh 红背叶 Wikidata
zh 红背娘 Wikidata

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution pattern across several distinct regions in East and Southeast Asia. Within China, it can be found throughout the South-Central provinces and across the Southeast territories. Its range also extends to the tropical island province of Hainan. Moving into Southeast Asia, the species is documented within the Indo-China region. Specifically, one of its key locations in this area is Vietnam.

Region Area Source
China China South-Central WCVP
China Hainan WCVP
China China Southeast WCVP
Indo-China Vietnam WCVP

Plant Parts

This plant, Alchornea trewioides, possesses various anatomical structures, but the root is a particularly significant part for traditional medicinal applications. The root system serves as the foundational anchor for the species, absorbing essential nutrients and water from the soil to support its growth in tropical environments. In many ethnobotanical practices, decoctions or extracts derived from the root are utilized due to their concentrated bioactive compounds, which are believed to offer therapeutic benefits.
Total parts
1
Scientific sources
1
Plant Part Sources Confidence
root 1 ★☆☆☆☆

Chemicals

Alchornea trewioides has 6 reported phytochemicals identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 1-O-galloyl-6-O-vanilloyl-beta-glucose, erigeside C, ethyl gallate, gallic acid, glucosyringic acid.

Total chemicals
6
Scientific sources
6

Most Reported Compounds

Compound Sources Confidence
1-O-galloyl-6-O-vanilloyl-beta-glucose 1 ★☆☆☆☆
erigeside C 1 ★☆☆☆☆
ethyl gallate 1 ★☆☆☆☆
gallic acid 1 ★☆☆☆☆
glucosyringic acid 1 ★☆☆☆☆
syringic acid 1 ★☆☆☆☆