Mikania micrantha | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Mikania |
Species: | M. micrantha |
Binomial name | |
Mikania micrantha | |
Mikania micrantha is a tropical plant in the family Asteraceae; known as bitter vine, [1] climbing hemp vine, or American rope. [1] It is also sometimes called mile-a-minute vine [1] (a moniker also used for the unrelated Persicaria perfoliata ).
It is a vigorously growing perennial creeper that grows best in areas in high humidity, light and soil fertility, though it can adapt in less fertile soils. The featherlike seeds are dispersed by wind. [1] A single stalk can produce between 20 and 40 thousand seeds a season. [2]
The species is native to the sub-tropical zones of North, Central, and South America. [3]
Mikania micrantha has ribbed stems that grow up to 6 metres (20 ft) in length with 4–13-centimetre (1.6–5.1 in) long leaves that have a heart-shaped base and a pointed apex. 4.5–6.0-millimetre (0.18–0.24 in) white flowers grow in clusters. [1]
Mikania micrantha is a widespread weed in the tropics. It grows very quickly (as fast as 80 to 90 millimetres (3.1 to 3.5 in) in 24 hours for a young plant) and covers other plants, shrubs and even trees. [4] Mikania is a problem in Nepal, covering more than 20% of the Chitwan National Park. [5]
Various control measures against Mikania have been tried in many countries. It is moderately susceptible to the herbicides [1] 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and paraquat. Cuscuta , a parasitic plant, has been used in Assam and Sri Lanka to suppress the spread of Mikania from waste land to tea plantations. Other control measures include the rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii and the thrips species Liothrips mikaniae.
An example of its success can be seen in Hong Kong where first recorded in 1884, it has now spread throughout the region and invades its country parks. [6]
Economic gains due to Mikania are meager compared to the loss due to its infestation in various ecosystems. It is used as a fodder in many countries. Sheep preferentially grazed Mikania in Malaysia and other cattle also relish it. In Kerala, India, the weed is utilized as a fodder in some parts of the state, especially during summer when the availability of grass is scarce. However, Mikania is known to cause hepatotoxicity and liver damage in dairy cattle. The antibacterial effect of Mikania and its efficacy in wound healing has been reported. In Assam (NE India), Kabi tribes use the leaf juice of Mikania as an antidote for insect bite and scorpion sting. The leaves are also used for treating stomachache. Use of juice of Mikania as a curative agent for itches is reported from Malaysia. However, in all such cases, therapeutic evidence are scarce or lacking. In Africa, Mikania leaves are used as a vegetable for making soups. The weed is used as a cover crop in rubber plantations in Malaysia. It is also planted on slopes to prevent soil erosion. Mikania green manure has been reported to increase the yield of rice in Mizoram, India. Recent studies have shown that Mikania is not suitable for mulching and composting due to its high water content. [7]
Extracts from M. micrantha slow the germination and growth of a variety of plant species. [8] At least three sesquiterpenoids have been identified which produce this effect. [9]
Mikania micrantha is affected by a virus called Mikania micrantha wilt virus (MMWV), which is a Fabavirus. [10]
It is used to heal cuts and stop minor external bleeding in Fiji but its medicinal properties are still yet to be fully discovered. It is also a very popular local antiseptic medicine in Mizoram State of India, it is known locally as Japan Hlo. Its use has also been reported in the state of Arunachal Pradesh; fresh leaves are pounded and then applied over lacerations to stop bleeding and subsequent healing. In Bangladesh used to treat gastric ulcer and as a local antiseptic.
The antioxidant activity and anthelmintic (anti-parasitic) activity of Mikania micrantha leaves has been studied. [11]
Kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America.
Solanum mauritianum is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its common names include earleaf nightshade, woolly nightshade, flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, tobacco bush, wild tobacco and kerosene plant.
Ipomoea aquatica, widely known as water spinach, is a semi-aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. I. aquatica is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It grows abundantly near waterways and requires little to no care.
Prosopis juliflora is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. It is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. It has become established as an invasive weed in Africa, Asia, Australia and elsewhere. It is a contributing factor to continuing transmission of malaria, especially during dry periods when sugar sources from native plants are largely unavailable to mosquitoes.
Annona glabra is a tropical fruit tree in the family Annonaceae, in the same genus as the soursop and cherimoya. Common names include pond apple, alligator apple, swamp apple, corkwood, bobwood, and monkey apple. The tree is native to Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa. It is common in the Everglades. The A. glabra tree is considered an invasive species in Sri Lanka and Australia. It grows in swamps, is tolerant of saltwater, and cannot grow in dry soil.
Ulex europaeus, the gorse, common gorse, furze or whin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Western Europe.
Miconia calvescens, the velvet tree, miconia, or bush currant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to Mexico and Central and South America and it has become one of the world's most invasive species.
Mikania is a genus of about 450 species of plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae.
Miconia crenata, commonly called soapbush, clidemia or Koster's curse, is a perennial shrub. It is an invasive plant species in many tropical regions of the world, causing serious damage.
Thunbergia laurifolia, the laurel clockvine or blue trumpet vine, is native to India and Thailand and the Indomalayan realm, the species occurs from Indochina to Malaysia.
The Sri Lanka montane rain forests is an ecoregion found above 1,000 m in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Owing to their rich biodiversity, this region is considered to be a super-hotspot within endemic hotspots of global importance. These forests are cooler than lowland forests and therefore they have ideal conditions for growth of cloud forests. These forests classifications tropical sub montane forest, tropical sub-montane and tropical upper montane. Half of Sri Lanka's endemic flowering plants and 51 percent of the endemic vertebrates are restricted to these forests. More than 34 percent of Sri Lanka's endemic trees, shrubs, and herbs can only be found in this ecoregion. Twisted, stunted trees are a common sight in these forests, together with many varieties of orchids, mosses and ferns. The trees of montane rain forests grow to a height 10–15 meters, shorter than the lowland rain forest trees. These high altitude forests are the catchment area for most of Sri Lanka's major rivers.
Chromolaena odorata is a tropical and subtropical species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, from Florida and Texas in the United States south through Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. It has been introduced to tropical Asia, West Africa, and parts of Australia.
Alstonia macrophylla, the hard alstonia, hard milkwood or big-leaved macrophyllum, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae.
Ageratina riparia, commonly known as mistflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico. The species is widely adventive and has spread to Cuba, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean. It has also been introduced as an ornamental plant and naturalized in a variety of regions, including parts of Hawaii, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Macaronesia, Oceania, Peru, and the Indian subcontinent. In tropical climates, A. riparia is highly invasive and a variety of control methods have been developed to reduce its spread.
Ageratina adenophora, commonly known as Crofton weed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Mexico and Central America. Originally grown as an ornamental plant, it has become invasive into farmland and bushland worldwide. It is toxic to horses, which develop a respiratory disease known as Numinbah horse sickness after eating it.
Clusia rosea, the autograph tree, copey, cupey, balsam apple, pitch-apple, and Scotch attorney, is a tropical and sub-tropical flowering plant species in the family Clusiaceae. The name Clusia major is sometimes misapplied to this species.
Mikania scandens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include climbing hempvine, climbing hempweed, and louse-plaster. It is native to the eastern and central United States, with its distribution extending into Tamaulipas, Mexico. Reports of its presence in Ontario, Canada are erroneous. It is an introduced and invasive species on many Pacific Islands and in parts of southern Asia.
Koenigia polystachya is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family, known by the common names Himalayan knotweed and cultivated knotweed. It has several regularly used synonyms, including Polygonum polystachyum, Aconogonon polystachyum and Persicaria wallichii.
Piper sylvaticum is a climber in the Piperaceae, or pepper, family. It is found in the northeast of the Indian subcontinent, and in Zhōngguó/China. The fruits are used in medicinal products.
Mikania cordata, the African mile-a-minute or heartleaf hempvine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, disjunctly distributed across the Old World Tropics. A perennial twining vine reaching 10 m (33 ft) long, it grows in thickets and forests at elevations from 100 to 1,700 m, at least in China. It is a rapidly-growing climber that suppresses the growth of other plants and is considered a more dangerous noxious weed than Mikania micrantha. Local peoples occasionally consume its leaves and use it for erosion control.