Phytochemical and GC-MS profiling of ethanolic extract of Terminalia myriocarpa- An endangered plant species of N. E. India

ABSTRACT Terminalia myriocarpa, the East Indian almond, is a tree species in the genus Terminalia found in Southeast Asia. Hollock is a timber and landscape tree native to India and Southeast Asia, its natural range extending from the Himalayan foothills east to Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and southern China. Exceptional specimens in natural forests may attain up to 40 m (130 ft) but are typically 15 to 25 m (50 to 82 ft) tall on open sites. The trunk is usually straight and on older trees buttressed, supporting a widebranching crown made up of long, slender, gently dropping branches. The bark is grey and smooth, with age becoming flaking. The flowers are small with light yellow petals, held tightly packed in long, slender clusters at the ends of the branches. They bloom from summer to autumn, coinciding with the rainy season in its native range, and are followed by clusters of small, green, winged seedpods, becoming bright pink when mature. Qualitative estimation of the biochemical metabolites in the said species was done and the following compounds were present viz. alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, lignin etc. Quantitative estimation of metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols and GC-MS analysis were done and the plant was found to have high amount of phenol but very low amount of flavonoid, flavonol and phytochemical content.