PlantaeDB Logo
Login Sign-up

Genus Aglaia in Family Meliaceae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

Do you wish to read more about plant taxonomy? Click here!

Genus Description

Suggest a correction!

Aglaia (family Meliaceae) includes roughly 120–130 species of trees and treelets in tropical Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific from southern China to tropical Australia. The type species is Aglaia odorata (Chen & Demise, 1996). Members of the genus typically occupy lowland to montane rainforests, some reaching lower montane zones in Malesia and Oceania, and they are especially diverse in Borneo, New Guinea, and the Philippines, with numerous regional endemics.

Aglaia is distinguished by its pinnately compound leaves, usually with entire margins and a conspicuous rachis that is sometimes winged; petiolules are typically short and the leaves may be glabrous to variably hairy. Inflorescences are axillary, paniculate, or thyrsoid, bearing numerous small, unisexual or sometimes functionally unisexual flowers. Floral parts are usually pentamerous; calyx is cup-shaped with lobes, petals are white to cream or yellowish, and stamens form a short to prominent tube that is often elevated on a receptacle; anthers are inserted within or at the rim of the tube. The superior ovary is typically 2- to 4-locular, each locule usually with two ovules, giving rise to fleshy drupes that contain one or two seeds per fruit. The endocarp varies from thin to corky.

Centers of richness occur in Borneo and New Guinea, with many narrow island endemics; species of Aglaia are common in lowland to mid-elevation forests and occasionally occur in swamp or coastal habitats (Baker et al., 2023). Fruits are dispersed by birds and mammals.

Pollination appears to involve small insects, and while the floral scent is frequently described, details remain unevenly documented across the range (García-Barry & Cervera, 2023). No single base chromosome number for the genus is well established from standardized cytogenetic surveys. Seedlings of several species are shade tolerant, and wood anatomy aligns with other meliaceous taxa, emphasizing ecological differentiation rather than a unique syndrome (Thomas et al., 2015).

Subgeneric classification historically recognized several sections (e.g., sect. Aglaia, sect. Amoora, sect. Halfordia) and various generic segregates; morphological circumscription remains contentious and historically disparate treatments have been applied to related Southeast Asian genera, notably with Amoora variably subsumed within Aglaia or segregated (Pannell, 1992; Muellner et al., 2008; Chen & Turland, 2007). Molecular phylogenies have clarified major lineages but have not uniformly resolved rank assignment and species boundaries; the World Flora Online and Plants of the World Online treat Amoora as part of Aglaia while acknowledging alternative views.

Beyond horticulture—most notably A. odorata for scented foliage in cultivation—Aglaia is locally valuable as a source of timber in some regions and includes certain ornamentals and cultivated aromatics (Mabberley, 1997; POWO, 2024). Some taxa naturalize outside native ranges, although impacts remain regionally constrained. Many species are poorly collected in northern Australia and New Guinea, and revised treatments combining molecular and morphological data are needed to reconcile synonymy and rank, especially where overlapping sectional concepts have been applied (WFO, 2024).

Pick a Species to see its components: