| Mayapple | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Podophyllum peltatum [1] | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Berberidaceae |
| Genus: | Podophyllum |
| Species: | P. peltatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Podophyllum peltatum | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
Podophyllum peltatum is a North American herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae. Its common names are mayapple, American mandrake, wild mandrake, [4] and ground lemon. [5]
Mayapples are woodland plants, typically growing in colonies derived from a single root. The stems grow to 30–40 cm (12–16 in) tall, with palmately lobed umbrella-like leaves up to 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) diameter with 3–9 shallowly to deeply cut lobes. The plants produce several stems from a creeping underground rhizome; some stems bear a single leaf and do not produce any flower or fruit, while flowering stems produce a pair or more leaves with 1–8 flowers in the axil between the apical leaves. The flowers are white, yellow or red, 2–6 cm (1–2 in) diameter with 6–9 petals, and mature into a green, yellow or red fleshy fruit 2–5 cm (1–2 in) long. [6]
Though the common name is mayapple, [7] in some areas it is the flower that appears in early May, not the "apple". The fruit or "apple" is usually produced early in summer and ripens later in summer.
It is widespread across most of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. [8] [9]
They are a larval host for the golden borer moth and the may apple borer. [10]
Many species of plants have mycorrhizae to assist with nutrient uptake in infertile conditions. Mayapple plants are considered obligately dependent upon such mycorrhizae, although it may also be facultatively dependent upon rhizome age and soil nutrient levels. [11] Plants are commonly found infected by the rust Allodus podophylli , appearing as honeycomb-patterned orange colonies under the leaves, and yellowish lesions on the upper surface. [12] [13]
All the parts of the plant are poisonous, including the unripe green fruit and perhaps the ripe fruit eaten in excess. [14] [15] [16] The rhizome, foliage, and roots are all poisonous. [17] Mayapple contains podophyllotoxin [18] or podophyllin, which is highly toxic if consumed.[ citation needed ]
The ripened yellow fruit is edible in small amounts and is sometimes made into jelly. [14] [15] [16]
Mayapple has been used by American Indians as an emetic, cathartic, [19] and antihelmintic agent. [19] The rhizome of the mayapple has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, originally by indigenous inhabitants and later by other settlers.[ citation needed ]
Mayapple can be used topically as an escharotic in removing warts, and two of its derivatives, etoposide and teniposide, have shown promise in treating some cancers. [20] [21] Etoposide is among the World Health Organisations's list of essential medicines [22] and it is derived from podophyllotoxin. [23] Podophyllotoxin or podophyllin is used as a purgative and as a cytostatic. Posalfilin is a drug containing podophyllin and salicylic acid that is used to treat the plantar wart.[ citation needed ]
They are also grown as ornamental plants for their attractive foliage and flowers.
Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida and west to the Mississippi River. The tree is commonly planted as an ornamental in residential and public areas because of its showy bracts and interesting bark structure.
Mandrake is a poisonous herbaceous plant in the genus Mandragora, often connected with magical rituals.
Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.
Rubus parviflorus, the fruit of which is commonly called the thimbleberry or redcap, is a species of Rubus with large hairy leaves and no thorns.
Etoposide, sold under the brand name Vepesid among others, is a chemotherapy medication used for the treatments of a number of types of cancer including testicular cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, neuroblastoma, and ovarian cancer. It is also used for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. It is used by mouth or injection into a vein.
Teniposide is a chemotherapeutic medication used in the treatment of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), Hodgkin's lymphoma, certain brain tumours, and other types of cancer. It is in a class of drugs known as podophyllotoxin derivatives and slows the growth of cancer cells in the body.
Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is the active ingredient in Podofilox, a medical cream used to treat genital warts and molluscum contagiosum. It is not recommended for HPV infections without external warts. It can be applied either by a healthcare provider or the patient themselves.
Nandina domestica commonly known as nandina, heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Nandina. It is widely grown in gardens as an ornamental plant with a number of cultivars that display bright-red fall foliage in the cool months, and attractive new foliage growth in spring. Although a popular ornamental shrub, the berries are toxic to birds, especially towards the end of the winter when other food sources become scarce.
Jeffersonia, also known as twinleaf or rheumatism root, is a small genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Berberidaceae. They are uncommon spring wildflowers and grow in limestone soils of rich deciduous forests. Jeffersonia was named for United States President Thomas Jefferson by his contemporary Benjamin Smith Barton. This genus was formerly grouped in genus Podophyllum. Twinleaf is protected by state laws as a threatened or endangered plant in Georgia, Iowa, New York, and New Jersey.
Caulophyllum is a small genus of perennial herbs belonging to the family Berberidaceae and closely related to the Eurasian genera Leontice and Gymnospermium. It is native to eastern Asia and eastern North America. These plants are distinctive spring wildflowers, which grow in moist, rich woodland, it is known for its large triple-compound leaf, and large blue, berry-like fruits. Unlike many spring wildflowers, it is not an ephemeral plant and persists throughout much of the summer. Common names for plants in this genus include blue cohosh, squaw root, and papoose root. As hinted at by its common names, this plant is well known as an alternative medicine for inducing childbirth and menstrual flow; it is also considered a poisonous plant.
Trillium sessile is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet sessile means "attached without a distinct stalk", an apparent reference to its stalkless flower. It is commonly known as toadshade or toad trillium. It is also called sessile trillium or sessile-flowered wake-robin, however it is not the only member of the genus with a sessile flower.
Epipodophyllotoxins are substances naturally occurring in the root of American Mayapple plant.
Ranzania is a monotypic genus of perennial herbs in the family Berberidaceae. The only species is Ranzania japonica. It is native to woodlands in the mountains of Honshu, Japan. This genus is named in honor of Ono Ranzan, who has been called "the Japanese Linnaeus". Fleshy stems of Ranzania form small colonies from an underground rhizome. Each stem bears two trifoliate compound leaves, and between the leaves is a single or more commonly a small cluster of drooping cup-shaped mauve flowers. These develop into an upright cluster of white berries. The haploid chromosome number is n=7.
Bryonia alba is a vigorous vine in the family Cucurbitaceae, found in Europe and Northern Iran. It has a growth habit similar to kudzu, which gives it a highly destructive potential outside its native range as a noxious weed. Other common names include false mandrake, English mandrake, wild vine, and wild hops, wild nep, tamus, ladies' seal, and tetterbury.
Symphoricarpos albus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name common snowberry. Native to North America, it is browsed by some animals and planted for ornamental and ecological purposes, but is poisonous to humans.
Bergenia crassifolia is a species of flowering plant of the genus Bergenia in the family Saxifragaceae. Common names for the species include heart-leaved bergenia, heartleaf bergenia, leather bergenia, winter-blooming bergenia, elephant-ears, elephant's ears, Korean elephant-ear, badan, pigsqueak, Siberian tea, and Mongolian tea.
Paris polyphylla is a species of flowering plant native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Indochina. It produces spider-like flowers that throw out long, thread-like, yellowish green petals throughout most of the warm summer months and into the autumn. In the fall, the flowers are followed by small, scarlet berries. It is a perennial, which slowly spreads, is fully hardy in Britain, and survives in leafy, moist soil in either complete or partial shade.
Sinopodophyllum is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae, described as a genus in 1979. It includes only one known species, Sinopodophyllum hexandrum, native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, northern India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, and western China. Common names include Himalayan may apple and Indian may apple.
Podophyllum resin, also known as podophyllum or podophyllin, is a resin made from the roots of the American mandrake. It is used as a medication to treat genital warts and plantar warts, including in people with HIV/AIDS. It is not recommended in HPV infections without external warts. Application by a healthcare provider to the skin is recommended.
Diphylleia grayi, the skeleton flower, is a species of perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to northern and central Japan.
