Ancistrocladus
Encyclopedia
Ancistrocladus is a little known genus of about 20 species in the monogeneric family Ancistrocladaceae
.
These are palaeotropical
climbing twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests, with eleven species occurring in tropical Africa and at least five species in West India
, SE Asia, Borneo
and Taiwan
.
The sparingly branched, sympodial
stem
is complex and can exceed 10 cm 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, evergeeen rosettes. They are entire, have short petiole
s and lack stipule
s. 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 sepal
s.
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. 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 Ancistrocladus tectorius, is used against dysentery
.
Many other alkaloids are still being found in the other species.
Ancistrocladaceae
Ancistrocladaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been widely recognized by taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots...
.
These are palaeotropical
Palaeotropical
In biology, palaeotropical refers to geographical occurrence. For a distribution to be palaeotropical a taxon must occur in tropical regions on both continents in the Old World, i.e. in Africa and Asia....
climbing twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests, with eleven species occurring in tropical Africa and at least five species in West India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, SE Asia, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
The sparingly branched, sympodial
Sympodial
Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...
stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
is complex and can exceed 10 cm 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
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are borne in dense, evergeeen rosettes. They are entire, have short petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s and lack stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
s. They have a single wax-secreting trichome
Trichome
Trichomes are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae.- Algal trichomes :...
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 sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s.
Scientific interest in this genus has grown considerably because the canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
Ancistrocladus korupensis is considered a potential anti-AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
source by the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
because of its highly effective mode of action against HIV. This plant was discovered in Cameroon and subsequently recognized as a species new to science. Its ingredient michellamine B, an acetogenic napthyl isoquinoline alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
, contained in mature leaves, is the active principle. Also korupensamine E is a new antimalarial
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
drug extracted from the same plant.
Ancistrocladus abbreviatus has been used on traditional medicine in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, as treatment against measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. The active ingredient is ancistrobrevine D, an alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
extracted from this plant.
Ancistrocline, an alkaloid derived from Ancistrocladus tectorius, is used against dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
.
Many other alkaloids are still being found in the other species.
Species
- Ancistrocladus abbreviatus Airy Shaw
- Ancistrocladus abbreviatus subsp. lateralis Gereau
- Ancistrocladus attenuatus Dyer (Myanmar)
- Ancistrocladus barteri Scott-Elliot (Guinea)
- Ancistrocladus congolensis J. Léonard (Congo)
- Ancistrocladus ealaensis J. Léonard (Congo)
- Ancistrocladus extensus Wall. ex Planch. (Cambodia)
- Ancistrocladus grandiflorus Cheek (Cameroon)
- Ancistrocladus griffithii Planch.
- Ancistrocladus guineensis Oliv. (Nigeria)
- Ancistrocladus hainanensis Hayata. (Hainan, China)
- Ancistrocladus hamatus (Vahl) Gilg (Sri Lanka)
- Ancistrocladus heyneanus Wall. ex J. Graham (India)
- Ancistrocladus korupensis D.W. Thomas & Gereau (Cameroon)
- Ancistrocladus letestuiAncistrocladus letestuiAncistrocladus letestui is a species of plant in the Ancistrocladaceae family. It is found in Cameroon and Gabon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
Pellegr. (Gabon) - Ancistrocladus likoko J. Léonard (Congo)
- Ancistrocladus pentagynus Warb.
- Ancistrocladus pinangianus Wall. ex Planch.
- Ancistrocladus robertsoniorum J. Léonard (Kenya)
- Ancistrocladus sagittatus Wall. ex Planch.
- Ancistrocladus stelligerus Wall. ex DC.
- Ancistrocladus tanzaniensis Cheek & Frim. (Tanzania)
- Ancistrocladus tectoriusAncistrocladus tectoriusAncistrocladus tectorius is a species in the monogeneric family Ancistrocladaceae found in China Cambodia, India , Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam...
(Lour.) Merr. (Andaman Islands, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) - Ancistrocladus uncinatus Hutch. & Dalziel (Nigeria)
- Ancistrocladus wallichii Planch.
- Ancistrocladus sp. (proposed name : Ancistrocladus benomensis) (Malaysia)