| Vismia baccifera | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Hypericaceae |
| Genus: | Vismia |
| Species: | V. baccifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Vismia baccifera | |
| Subspecies [2] | |
| Synonyms | |
subsp. baccifera [3] | |
Vismia baccifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. The species is a shrub or small tree that is native to Latin America that is found in wet tropical areas. [2]
Vismia baccifera has shorter and larger leaves than V. guianensis. It has ovate leaves which are membranous and covered in a whitish layer on the underside. [5]
Vismia baccifera was first described by Carl Linnaeus as Hypericum bacciferum in 1771, [6] but was moved into the genus Vismia by botanists José Jerónimo Triana and Jules Émile Planchon in 1863. [2] There are two accepted subspecies of V. baccifera: [2]
The leaves of Vismia baccifera contain various flavonoids, including epicatechin and quercetin. [7] The species' essential oil profile is characterized by high amounts of sesquiterpenes. Vismia baccifera subsp. dealbata has been shown to contain the compounds sesamin, friedelin and vismiaquinone. [8] V. baccifera is used in traditional medicine in parts of the Amazon rainforest as treatment for inflammations like uterine hemorrhage and leishmaniasis. [9] A 2018 study by scientists from the University of the Basque Country demonstrated the ability of the species to kill liver tumor cells in a laboratory setting using aqueous extracts from its leaves. [10]
