Adenia | |
---|---|
Adenia pechuelii | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Passifloraceae |
Subfamily: | Passifloroideae |
Tribe: | Passifloreae |
Genus: | Adenia Forssk. |
Species | |
about 100, see text | |
Synonyms | |
Adenia is a genus of flowering plants in the passionflower family Passifloraceae. It is distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. [1] The centers of diversity are in Madagascar, eastern and western tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia. [2] The genus name Adenia comes from "aden", [3] reported as the Arabic name for the plant by Peter Forsskål, the author of the genus. [4]
All Adenia are perennial plants, but there are many different forms, including herbs, vines, shrubs, and trees. [5] Many are succulents and some are pachycauls. Some have fibrous root systems and some have tubers. [5] Adenia can be found in a wide variety of habitat types, from dry African deserts to wet Southeast Asian rainforests. [5] There are about 100 species in the genus. [6]
Adenia have alternately arranged leaves borne on petioles. There are two glands located near the attachment of the leaf blade to the petiole. [1] Most species are dioecious. [5] Inflorescences of a few to many flowers occur in the leaf axils. There is a stipe below the flower.[ clarification needed ] The calyx has five lobes and the five petals are usually smaller than the sepals and may be whitish or greenish. The male flower has five stamens. In the female flower these are reduced to staminodes. There are three styles tipped with stigmas that may be long-hairy to very woolly. The fruit is a red capsule. Each black seed has a fleshy aril. [1]
Adenia species can be difficult to identify and distinguish as individuals of a species can be variable. One plant can have leaves of varying shapes and sizes, and young and old specimens can have different leaf types. Some taxa are poorly represented in herbarium collections, leaving few examples to compare with new specimens. Records of some taxa lack descriptions of both (i.e. male and female) flower types. Many species only flower for a few weeks, and during this time they may also lose their leaves. Succulent plants can be difficult to properly collect and preserve. [2]
The chromosome count of Adenia is 2n = 24 or 2n = 48. [7]
Several species are used in traditional African medicine. Various parts of A. cissampeloides are used to treat many conditions, including gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, pain, fever, malaria, leprosy, scabies, cholera, anemia, bronchitis, sexually transmitted diseases, menorrhagia, and mental illness. [8] It is used both as an abortifacient and to prevent miscarriage. [8] A. dinklagei leaves are ingested to treat palpitations. The leaves of A. tricostata are used to treat fever. The leaves or leaf sap of A. bequaertii are taken to treat headache, mental illness, and possession. [8] A. lobata stems are applied to sites of Guinea worm infection during extraction of the worm. It is also used as an enema and an aphrodisiac. [9]
A. cissampeloides is used as a fish poison and arrow poison. The red-colored sap is used as a cosmetic. The stems can be made into rope. The crushed twigs or smoke from burning roots can be used to calm honeybees during honey harvest. [8]
The leaves of A. cissampeloides are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Africa. [8]
A. digitata is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its very large, distinctive aboveground tuber. [10]
Many Adenia are poisonous. They contain lectins such as lanceolin, stenodactylin, and volkensin, which are toxic to cells. They cause apoptosis, hemagglutination, inhibition of protein synthesis, and depurination of ribosomes and DNA. [11] Mouse experiments with small doses of lanceolin and stenodactylin, from A. lanceolata and A. stenodactyla, respectively, revealed that they are "amongst the most potent toxins of plant origin". [12]
The fruit of A. digitata has been used in Africa to commit homicide and suicide. [10]
The following is a list of all 106 species in this genus that are accepted by Plants of the World Online as of 3 July 2023 [update] [13]
Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although Acokanthera schimperi also occurs in Yemen. Its sap contains the deadly cardiotoxic glycoside ouabain. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons, including those used for poaching elephant.
Gomphocarpus physocarpus, commonly known as hairy balls, balloonplant, balloon cotton-bush, bishop's balls, nailhead, or swan plant, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae, related to the milkweeds. The plant is native to southeast Africa, but it has been widely naturalized. It is often used as an ornamental plant.
Pierreodendron kerstingii is a species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae. It is endemic to West Africa and found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. It is sometimes considered synonym of Pierreodendron africanum, which would then be a widespread species distributed south to Angola and east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Adenium boehmianum, the Bushman poison, is a poisonous succulent endemic to the mostly dry regions of northern Namibia and southern Angola. The San people boil the root sap and latex to prepare arrow poison, which is sufficient for hunting large mammals, as it contains strong cardiotoxic effects. The leaves, borne only for three months a year, are arranged spirally and are clustered near the branch tips. A plant will flower for only a few weeks in winter. The oblong fruit releases many seeds through a longitudinal slit, which due to their lateral tufts, can be dispersed by wind.
Acalypha ciliata is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. It occurs widely in Africa where it is eaten as a vegetable, or fed to animals. In West Africa and East Africa it is used as a medicinal plant.
Acalypha ornata is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. In Africa it is widely used as a medicinal plant. The stems are used as fibres for weaving baskets. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable; the plants are also fed to domestic animals. Acalypha ornata is sometimes planted as an ornamental plant.
Acalypha psilostachya is a species in the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. In East Africa it is used as a medicinal plant.
Aloe buettneri is a species of succulent plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is found in West Africa and is known for its medicinal uses.
Boerhavia erecta, commonly known as the erect spiderling or the erect boerhavia, is one of more than 100 species in the genus Boerhavia L. Boerhavia erecta is native to the United States, Mexico, Central America and western South America, but now is cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical regions. In Africa its distribution extends from West Africa, eastwards to Somalia and down to South Africa. It has recently been found in parts of Madagascar and Réunion. In Asia, it occurs in India, Java, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and the Ryukyu Islands.
Adenia globosa is a species of flowering plant in the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. It is native to tropical Africa, where it occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It is known as mpaga in Swahili.
Catharanthus trichophyllus is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is most common in northern regions.
Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-FakimGCSK is a Mauritian politician and biodiversity scientist who served as the sixth president of Mauritius from 2015 to 2018. In December 2014, she was selected to be the presidential candidate of the Alliance Lepep. After Kailash Purryag resigned on 29 May 2015, both Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Leader of the Opposition Paul Berenger positively welcomed her nomination, which was unanimously approved in a vote in the National Assembly.
Phyllanthus maderaspatensis is a perennial herbaceous species of plant in the family Phyllanthaceae, widespread in tropical and subtropical areas of the old world.
Apparicine is a monoterpenoid indole alkaloid. It is named after Apparicio Duarte, a Brazilian botanist who studied the Aspidosperma species from which apparicine was first isolated. It was the first member of the vallesamine group of alkaloids to be isolated and have its structure established, which was first published in 1965. It has also been known by the synonyms gomezine, pericalline, and tabernoschizine.
Adenia digitata is a species of flowering plant in the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. It is a climbing geophyte, from 0.2 to 3 meters long, which grows from a tuber. It is native to southern and eastern Africa, from Tanzania and Angola to the Northern Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Basananthe is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Passifloraceae.
Boscia salicifolia is a deciduous tree with narrowly ovate to linear leaves that grows up to 12 meters in height, it is within the Capparaceae family.
Adenia heterophylla, commonly known in Australia as the lacewing vine, is a climbing plant in the family Passifloraceae. It has a broad distribution spanning the equator, from the south eastern corner of China, through Indochina and Malesia, to northern Australia. In Australia it serves as a food plant for larvae of the glasswing, red lacewing and cruiser butterflies.