| Ancistrocladus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ancistrocladus heyneanus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Ancistrocladaceae Planch. ex Walp. [1] |
| Genus: | Ancistrocladus Wall. |
| Species | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
Ancistrocladus is a genus of woody lianas in the monotypic family Ancistrocladaceae. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. [3] They are found in the tropics of the Old World.
The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots.
Recent molecular and biochemical evidence (see the AP-Website) suggests the carnivorous taxa in the order Caryophyllales (the families Droseraceae and Nepenthaceae and the species Drosophyllum lusitanicum and Triphyophyllum peltatum ) all belong to the same clade.[ citation needed ] This family Ancistrocladaceae would belong to this same clade, although the plants in the family are not carnivorous.[ citation needed ]
A close relationship between this family and the family Dioncophyllaceae (containing the carnivorous species T. peltatum) is supported by similar pollen and petiole structure. The Cronquist system, 1981, placed the family in the order Violales (together with Dioncophyllaceae). The Takhtajan system placed the family in its own order Ancistrocladales.
The only genus in the family Ancistrocladaceae is Ancistrocladus, a little-known genus of about 20 species. These are palaeotropical, climbing, twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests. The sparingly branched, sympodial stem is complex and can exceed 10 cm in diameter. It is along one side attached to the tree with grapnels (short, hooked lateral thorns, formed from modified stem apices), opposite to the leaves. Their leaves are borne in dense, evergreen rosettes. They are entire, have short petioles and lack stipules. They have a single wax-secreting trichome in the epidermal pits and glands on the abaxial surface. The flowers are small with a basally connate corolla, that are imbricate or rolled up lengthwise. The fruit is a nut with often wing-like accrescent sepals.
The species of Ancistrocladus are native to tropical Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. [4]
Scientific interest in this genus has grown considerably because the canopy liana Ancistrocladus korupensis is considered a potential anti-AIDS source by the National Cancer Institute because of its highly effective mode of action against HIV. [5] This plant was discovered in Cameroon and subsequently recognized as a species new to science. Its ingredient michellamine B, an acetogenic napthyl isoquinoline alkaloid, contained in mature leaves, is the active principle. Also, korupensamine E is a new antimalarial drug extracted from the same plant.
Ancistrocladus abbreviatus has been used on traditional medicine in Ghana, as treatment against measles and fever. The active ingredient is ancistrobrevine D, an alkaloid extracted from this plant.
Ancistrocline, an alkaloid derived from A. tectorius, is used against dysentery.
Many other alkaloids are still being found in the other species.
Species accepted as of July 2014: [4]
Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera. Representatives of the Droseraceae are found on all continents except Antarctica.
Drosophyllum is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species Drosophyllum lusitanicum, commonly known as Portuguese sundew or dewy pine. In appearance, it is similar to the related genus Drosera, and to the much more distantly related Byblis.
Triphyophyllum is a monotypic plant genus, containing the single species Triphyophyllum peltatum of the family Dioncophyllaceae. It is native to tropical western Africa, in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia, growing in tropical forests.
Microdesmis is a genus of plant of the family Pandaceae. It is native to tropical Africa, China and Southeast Asia.
The Dioncophyllaceae are a family of flowering plants consisting of three species of lianas native to the rainforests of western Africa.
Ancistrocladus letestui is a species of liana of the plant family of the Ancistrocladaceae occurring in the subtropical or tropical dry forests of Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Zaire, and Gabon. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Hunteria is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1824. It is native to Africa and to South and Southeast Asia.
Palisota is a genus of plant in family Commelinaceae, first described in 1828. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Eremospatha is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists;. Closely related to Laccosperma, they differentiated by the near complete absence of bracts and bracteoles. The name is from Greek meaning "without a spathe".
Podococcus is a genus of palms found in tropical Africa. It includes two recognized species:
Caryophyllales is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants that includes the cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, beets, and many carnivorous plants. Many members are succulent, having fleshy stems or leaves. The betalain pigments are unique in plants of this order and occur in all its families with the exception of Caryophyllaceae and Molluginaceae.
Anchomanes is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The genus is native to tropical Africa.
Culcasia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical Africa. Most of its species are climbers and resemble Cercestis except for the fact that they don't produce flagella.
Ancistrorhynchus is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family Orchidaceae. It contains 16 species native to tropical Africa.
Ancistrocladus tectorius is a species in the monogeneric family Ancistrocladaceae found in China (Hainan), Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Vietnamese name is trung quân lợp nhà; Chinese: 钩枝藤, gou zhi teng.
Michellamines are a group of atropisomeric alkaloid which have been found to be HIV viral replication inhibitors in vitro. It was discovered in the leaves of Ancistrocladus korupensis. There are three michellamines represented as A, B, and C; however, michellamine B is the most active against the NID-DZ strain of HIV-2.
Cuviera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae native to tropical Africa. It was originally described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1807 and is named after the French naturalist Georges Cuvier.
Craterispermum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It contains 16 species that occur in tropical Africa and Seychelles. It is the only genus in the tribe Craterispermeae, of which the divergence time is estimated at 34.8 million years ago.
Orthopichonia is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1953. It was initially given the name Orthandra, but this turned out to be an illegitimate homonym. Orthopichonia is native to Africa.
Ancistrocladus korupensis is a species of liana endemic to southwestern Cameroon and the neighbouring regions of Nigeria. The type locality is Korup National Park. The plant was identified as new to science in 1993 after pharmacologically intriguing alkaloids were found in its leaves.
