| Malania | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Santalales |
| Family: | Olacaceae |
| Genus: | Malania Chun & S.K.Lee |
| Species: | M. oleifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Malania oleifera Chun & S.K.Lee | |
Malania oleifera is a species of plant in the Olacaceae family, the only species in the genus Malania. It is a medium-sized tree, 10–20 metres (33–66 ft) tall, that is endemic to southern China where it can be found in Western Guangxi and South-Eastern Yunnan provinces. Known as "garlic-fruit tree" or ‘suantouguo’ (蒜头果) by local communities due to its garlic-shaped fruits, it is threatened by logging and habitat loss. Notable for its substantial phytochemical value, its seed has the highest-known proportion of nervonic acid (C24H46O2, PubChem CID: 5281120). Nervonic acid is an important component in myelin biosynthesis in the central and peripheral nervous system, and has been proposed to enhance human brain function. To aid this research its 1.51 Gigabase genome has been sequenced by researchers in China.
References
- ^ Sun, W. (1998). "Malania oleifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998: e.T32361A9701100. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32361A9701100.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- Qiu H, Gilbert MG. "Malania oleifera". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- Tang TF, Liu XM, Ling M, Lai F, Zhang L, Zhou YH, Sun RR (May 2013). "Constituents of the essential oil and fatty acid from Malania oleifera". Industrial Crops and Products. 43: 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2012.07.003.
- Xu CQ, Liu H, Zhou SS, Zhang DX, Zhao W, Wang S, Chen F, Sun YQ, Nie S, Jia KH, Jiao SQ, Zhang RG, Yun QZ, Guan W, Wang X, Gao Q, Bennetzen JL, Maghuly F, Porth I, de Peer YV, Wang XR, Ma Y, Mao JF (February 2019). "Genome sequence of Malania oleifera, a tree with great value for nervonic acid production". GigaScience. 8 (2): giy164. doi:10.1093/gigascience/giy164. PMC 6377399. PMID 30689848.
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