Botany
Prunus arborea is a mid-canopy deciduous tree up to 40 m tall and 74 cm dbh. Stipules ca. 5 mm long, dropped early. Leaves very variable, alternate, simple, ovate to elliptic, 2-7 by 5-15 cm in length, apex acuminate, base acute, margin entire; penni-veined, venation from barely visible to very pronounced, glabrous to densely hairy below, lower surface sometimes with nectary glands near petiole insertion. Flowers ca. 8 mm diameters, white-yellow-pinkish, placed in clustered racemes. Fruits a solitary drupe, globular, hairy, ca. 9 mm diameter, green-red-black, 2-lobed. Seeds are two, brown. (2) (4)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Also native to Assam, Borneo, Cambodia, China, Hainan, Himalaya, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam. (1)
- In mountainous or dense humid forest from 200 to 500 m altitude.

Constituents
- Study of leaf essential oil yielded benzoic acid, α-methoxy toluene/benzyl alcohol, and
(E,E)-α-farnesene/benzaldehyde as dominant constituents.
- Study evaluated leaf, twig, and stem bark of Prunus arborea var. densa for volatile components and essential oils. Leaves yielded main components of E, E-α-farnesene (23.9%), benzaldehyde (23.7%), and Z-hexenyl benzoate (11.2%). Twig oil consisted of benzaldehyde (15.4%), benzyl benzoate (12.9%), and benzyl salicylate (6.5%). Stem bark consisted mainly of benzoic acid (17.2%) with small amounts of benzaldehyde (>80%) in stem bark and twig parts when compared to leaf parts. (5)

Properties
- Study has suggested efficacy of phytosterol extract for prostatitis.

Uses
Edibility
- No published report on edibility of fruits.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- In West Kalimantan, Indonesia, used for treatment of worms. (6)
Others
- Wood: Trunk used for general construction, house pillars. Bark used for making rice containers.

Studies
• Tebetane compuesto / Phytosterol Extract / Prostatitis: Tebetane compuesto is a phytosterol extract of Prunus arborea consisting of three amino acids: glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid. Study evaluated it on 100 patients with varied pathologies viz., prostatic adenoma, prostatitis, postadenomectomy sequelas. Study showed no cases of intolerance or side effects. In cases of prostatitis, it proved to be effective in 94 of 100 patients. (3)
• Essential Oils / Leaf, Twig, Stem Bark: Study evaluated leaf, twig, and stem bark of Prunus arborea var. densa for volatile components and essential oils. Results suggest the plant could be a natural source of benzaldehyde and other phenylpropanoids with potential uses for flavoring, perfumery, and herbal ingredients. (see constituents above) (5)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Supplements in the cybermarket.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Prunus arrborea / Plants of the World Online
(2)
Prunus arborea / AsianPlantNet
(3)
Clinical study of a phytosterol extract of Prunus arborea and 3 amino acids: glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid / E cuervo Blanco, A Francia Bengoechea, B Fraile Gómez / Arch Esp Urol., 1978; 31(1): pp 97-98 / PMID: 697415
(4)
Prunus arborea / Biotik
(5)
Chemical constituents of the essential oils of Prunus arborea var. densa / Nor Azah Mohamad Ali, Mailina Jamil, Azrina Aziz, Mohd Farid Zollpatah, Che Mohd Aizal Che Mohd / The Open Conference Proceedings Journal, 2013; 4: 212
(6)
Medicinal Plants under Rubber Agroforestry System in West Kalimantan / Budi, Bina Swasta Sitepu, Laxman Joshi / World Agroforestry Center

Sorting Passiflora names / /Maintained by: Michel H. Porcher / MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE / Copyright © 1995 - 2020 / A Work in Progress. School of Agriculture and Food Systems. Faculty of Land & Food Resources. The Univers ity of Melbourne. Australia.
(2)
Sorting Eragrostis names / /Maintained by: Michel H. Porcher / MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE / Copyright © 1995 - 2020 / A Work in Progress. School of Agriculture and Food Systems. Faculty of Land & Food Resources. The University of Melbourne. Australia.

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)