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Internal ID UUID643fd9b4d1d5d058908293
Scientific name Derris elliptica
Authority (Wall.) Benth.
First published in J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot.4(Suppl.): 111 (1860)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
- Rotenone, an isoflavonoid insecticide extracted from dried root bark of Derris elliptica.
- Derris root powder, ground root material used in dust, spray and other insecticidal formulations.

Industrial and craft applications:
- Broad‑spectrum contact insecticide and acaricide for crops, orchards, gardens and ornamentals.
- Piscicide to control unwanted fish in lakes and reservoirs.
- Research tool; inhibition of mitochondrial complex I used in neurodegeneration models.
- Traditional fish poison in Southeast Asian fishing.
- Rotenone dusts applied to stored grain and legume products to suppress insects.

Properties relevant to use:
- Non‑ionic, lipophilic isoflavonoid (logP ≈3.4) penetrates insect cuticles.
- Potent non‑competitive inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, causing energy depletion.
- Root bark contains 1–5 % rotenone by dry weight, enabling extraction.
- Highly soluble in organic solvents (ethanol, acetone, chloroform) for liquid and dust formulations.
- Stable at neutral pH but rapidly degrades under UV, necessitating UV stabilizers in outdoor products.

Standards and regulation:
- U.S. restricted‑use pesticide under FIFRA; registration and labeling overseen by EPA.
- EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU 528/2012) lists rotenone as an approved active substance for plant‑protection products, with possible national restrictions.
- ISO 2161 (Test method for pesticide dusts) and ISO 17025 (General requirements for testing labs) provide standardized protocols for rotenone formulations.
- U.S. National Organic Program removed rotenone from allowed synthetics in 2015, prohibiting its use in certified organic agriculture.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- Cultivated in tropical agroforestry across India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
- 2–3‑year cultivation cycle; roots harvested at peak rotenone concentration.
- Wild harvesting discouraged; certified cultivation (e.g., organic) ensures sustainable supply.
- Rotenone yields from cultivated roots typically 0.5–2 % w/w of dry material, meeting demand while limiting pressure on wild populations.
- Sustainable‑sourcing programs require good agricultural practices, soil conservation, integrated pest management and traceability.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Galedupa elliptica (Wall.) Roxb. Fl. Ind. ed. 1832, 3: 242 (1832)
Pongamia elliptica Wall. Pl. Asiat. Rar.3: 20 (1832)
Derris elliptica var. elliptica (Wall.) Benth.
Deguelia elliptica (Wall.) Taub. Bot. Centralbl.47: 386 (1891)
Galactia termimaliflora Blanco
Pongamia volubilis Zoll. & Moritzi A.Moritzi, Syst. Verz. Java: 3 (1846)
Nothoderris purpurea Blume Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 149 (1855)
Nothoderris glaucescens Blume Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 149 (1855)
Nothoderris elliptica (Wall.) Blume Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 148 (1855)
Pongamia horsfieldii Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 149 (1855)
Pongamia hypoleuca Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 148 (1855)
Pongamia grandiflora Vent. Jard. Malmaison: t. 28 (1803)
Dalbergia elliptica Span. Linnaea15: 197 (1841)
Pterocarpus ellipticus Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl.1: 203 (1891)
Paraderris elliptica (Wall.) Adema Thai Forest Bull., Bot.28: 11 (2000)
Derris elliptica var. glaucophylla (Miq.) Kaneh. & Hatus. Bot. Mag. (Tokyo)56: 364 (1942)
Paraderris elliptica var. chittagongensis (Thoth.) Adema Blumea48: 137 (2003)
Derris elliptica var. chittagongensis Thoth. Bull. Bot. Surv. India3: 195 (1961 publ. 1962)
Pongamia volubilis var. glaucophylla Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 149 (1855)
Derris elliptica var. tonkinensis Gagnep. H.Lecomte (ed.), Fl. Indo-Chine2: 461 (1916)
Millettia elliptica (Roxb.) Steud. Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 2: 146 (1841)
Dalbergia glaucescens Zipp. ex Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind.1(1): 149 (1855)
Dalbergia purpurea Reinw. ex Hassk. Flora25(2, Beibl. 1): 53 (1842)
Pongamia dubia Graham Numer. List : n.° 5899 (1831)
Galedupa grandiflora Juss. ex Vent. Jard. Malmaison : t. 28 (1803)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
Arabic دريس إهليلجي
Arabic الدريس
Indonesian akar tuba
mad tobbhâ
Malay akar tuba
Thai หางไหล
Chinese 毛鱼藤
Chinese 毒鱼藤
Chinese 魚藤
Chinese 南亚鱼藤

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Asia-temperate
    • China
      • China South-central
      • China Southeast
      • Hainan
    • Eastern Asia
      • Ogasawara-Shoto
      • Taiwan
  • Asia-tropical
    • Indian Subcontinent
      • Assam
      • Bangladesh
      • India
      • Nepal
      • Sri Lanka
    • Indo-China
      • Andaman Islands
      • Cambodia
      • Laos
      • Myanmar
      • Nicobar Nicobar
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Malesia
      • Borneo
      • Christmas Island
      • Jawa
      • Malaya
      • Maluku
      • Philippines
      • Sulawesi
      • Sumatera
    • Papuasia
      • New Guinea
  • Pacific
    • North-central Pacific
      • Hawaii
    • Northwestern Pacific
      • Caroline Islands
      • Marianas
  • Southern America
    • Brazil
      • Brazil Northeast
      • Brazil Southeast
      • Brazil West-central
    • Caribbean
      • Leeward Islands
      • Trinidad-Tobago

Links to other databases Top

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Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000186905
USDA Plants DEEL3
Tropicos 13018222
INPN 629534
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:491300-1
The Plant List ild-33408
Open Tree Of Life 170173
NCBI Taxonomy 56063
IPNI 491300-1
iNaturalist 348735
GBIF 5350305
EPPO DRREL
EOL 686011
USDA GRIN 13545
Wikipedia Derris_elliptica

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Acute rotenone poisoning: A scoping review Tat J, Heskett K, Boss GR Heliyon 21-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC11021885
doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28334
PMID:38633629
Exploring the therapeutic potential of Derris elliptica (Wall.) Benth in Streptozotocin-Induced diabetic Rats: Phytochemical characterization and antidiabetic evaluation Abd Rahman R, Jayasingh Chellammal HS, Ali Shah SA, Mohd Zohdi R, Ramachandran D, Mohsin HF Saudi Pharm J 28-Feb-2024
PMCID:PMC10920961
doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102016
PMID:38463183
Anti-Insect Properties of Penicillium Secondary Metabolites Nicoletti R, Andolfi A, Becchimanzi A, Salvatore MM Microorganisms 16-May-2023
PMCID:PMC10221605
doi:10.3390/microorganisms11051302
PMID:37317276
Inhibitory Effects of Thermolysis Transformation Products of Rotenone on Nitric Oxide Production Jeong GH, Lee H, Lee SS, Chung BY, Bai HW, Kim TH Int J Mol Sci 23-Mar-2023
PMCID:PMC10093917
doi:10.3390/ijms24076095
PMID:37047068
Insect Cell-Based Models: Cell Line Establishment and Application in Insecticide Screening and Toxicology Research He X, Lu L, Huang P, Yu B, Peng L, Zou L, Ren Y Insects 18-Jan-2023
PMCID:PMC9965340
doi:10.3390/insects14020104
PMID:36835673
The protective impact of growth hormone against rotenone-induced apoptotic cell death via acting on endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy axis BERRAK RENCÜZOĞULLARI Ö, TORNACI S, ÇELİK Y, CİROĞLU NN, OBAKAN YERLİKAYA P, ARISAN ED, ÇOKER GÜRKAN A Turk J Biol 15-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC10388008
doi:10.55730/1300-0152.2639
PMID:37529115
Microbial and Plant Derived Low Risk Pesticides Having Nematocidal Activity Evidente A Toxins (Basel) 03-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC9787815
doi:10.3390/toxins14120849
PMID:36548747
Effects of Eugenol on Water Quality and the Metabolism and Antioxidant Capacity of Juvenile Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) under Simulated Transport Conditions He Y, Fu Z, Dai S, Yu G, Guo Y, Ma Z Animals (Basel) 21-Oct-2022
PMCID:PMC9598218
doi:10.3390/ani12202880
PMID:36290265
Stem cambial variants of Taiwan lianas Yang SZ, Chen PH, Chen JJ Bot Stud 24-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9509506
doi:10.1186/s40529-022-00358-5
PMID:36153445
Identification of Gedunin from a Phytochemical Depository as a Novel Multidrug Resistance-Bypassing Tubulin Inhibitor of Cancer Cells Khalid SA, Dawood M, Boulos JC, Wasfi M, Drif A, Bahramimehr F, Shahhamzehei N, Shan L, Efferth T Molecules 09-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9501561
doi:10.3390/molecules27185858
PMID:36144591
The anti‐Trypanosoma activities of medicinal plants: A systematic review of the literature Nekoei S, Khamesipour F, Habtemariam S, de Souza W, Mohammadi Pour P, Hosseini SR Vet Med Sci 29-Aug-2022
PMCID:PMC9677405
doi:10.1002/vms3.912
PMID:36037401
Multivalent Pyrrolidine Iminosugars: Synthesis and Biological Relevance Wang Y, Xiao J, Meng A, Liu C Molecules 24-Aug-2022
PMCID:PMC9457877
doi:10.3390/molecules27175420
PMID:36080188
Occurrence of Macrophomina phaseolina on Chickpea in Italy: Pathogen Identification and Characterization Dell’Olmo E, Tripodi P, Zaccardelli M, Sigillo L Pathogens 27-Jul-2022
PMCID:PMC9415271
doi:10.3390/pathogens11080842
PMID:36014963
Assessing Anti-Social and Aggressive Behavior in a Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Model of Parkinson’s Disease Chronically Exposed to Rotenone Ilie OD, Duta R, Jijie R, Nita IB, Nicoara M, Faggio C, Dobrin R, Mavroudis I, Ciobica A, Doroftei B Brain Sci 08-Jul-2022
PMCID:PMC9313068
doi:10.3390/brainsci12070898
PMID:35884705
A Complete Review of Mexican Plants with Teratogenic Effects Chamorro-Cevallos G, Mojica-Villegas MA, García-Martínez Y, Pérez-Gutiérrez S, Madrigal-Santillán E, Vargas-Mendoza N, Morales-González JA, Cristóbal-Luna JM Plants (Basel) 24-Jun-2022
PMCID:PMC9268836
doi:10.3390/plants11131675
PMID:35807626

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Organoheterocyclic compounds / Pyrrolidines
2,5-Dideoxy-2,5-Imino-D-Glucitol 11073745 Click to see 163.17 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94435-2
2(R), 4(R)-dihydroxypyrrolidine 1472 Click to see 163.17 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94435-2
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Rotenoids / Rotenones
(-)-Deguelin;(-)-cis-Deguelin 606171 Click to see 394.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/JA01326A060
(1S,12S,13S)-16,17-dimethoxy-2,7,20-trioxapentacyclo[11.8.0.03,11.04,8.014,19]henicosa-3(11),4(8),5,9,14,16,18-heptaen-12-ol 162980105 Click to see 354.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-961936
(1S,13S)-10-hydroxy-16,17-dimethoxy-2,7,20-trioxapentacyclo[11.8.0.03,11.04,8.014,19]henicosa-3(11),4(8),5,9,14,16,18-heptaen-12-one 12312700 Click to see 368.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
5-Hydroxy-8,9-dimethoxy-2-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-1,2,12,12a-tetrahydrofuro[2',3':7,8][1]benzopyrano[2,3-c][1]benzopyran-6(6aH)-one 3665545 Click to see 410.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
5'beta-Rotenone 5102 Click to see 394.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)98664-3
https://doi.org/10.1002/ARDP.19112490408
https://doi.org/10.1248/YAKUSHI1881.1923.491_10
6-Hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxy-3,3-dimethyl-13,13a-dihydro-3H,7aH-pyrano[2,3-c:6,5-f']dichromen-7-one 243723 Click to see 410.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
alpha-Toxicarol 442826 Click to see CC1(C=CC2=C(O1)C=C(C3=C2OC4COC5=CC(=C(C=C5C4C3=O)OC)OC)O)C 410.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
Deguelin 107935 Click to see 394.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-961936
Dehydrotoxicarol 5491616 Click to see 408.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/JA01328A504
Derride 13846199 Click to see 352.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
https://doi.org/10.1039/JR9390001099
Elliptinol 44257418 Click to see 354.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-961936
Elliptone 160477 Click to see 352.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
https://doi.org/10.1039/JR9390001099
Malaccol 5319228 Click to see 368.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
rel-(7aR,13aR)-9,10-Dimethoxy-3,3-dimethyl-13,13a-dihydro-3H-pyrano[2,3-c:6,5-f']dichromen-7(7aH)-one 184223 Click to see 394.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/JA01326A060
Rotenone 6758 Click to see CC(=C)C1CC2=C(O1)C=CC3=C2OC4COC5=CC(=C(C=C5C4C3=O)OC)OC 394.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-4020(01)93394-0
https://doi.org/10.1002/ARDP.19112490408
https://doi.org/10.1248/YAKUSHI1881.1923.491_10
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(99)00098-9
Sumatrol 442824 Click to see CC(=C)C1CC2=C(O1)C=C(C3=C2OC4COC5=CC(=C(C=C5C4C3=O)OC)OC)O 410.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/RECL.19390580304
Tephrosin 114909 Click to see 410.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-961936

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