Plumbago zeylanica
Encyclopedia
Plumbago zeylanica, commonly known as Ceylon Leadwort or Doctorbush, is a species of plumbago
with a pantropical
distribution. Carl Linnaeus described the paleotropical
P. zeylanica and neotropical P. scandens as separate species, but they are currently considered synonymous. Ceylon Leadwort is a herbaceous plant
with glabrous stems that are climbing, prostrate, or erect. The leaves are petiolate or sessile and have ovate, lance-elliptic, or spatulate to oblanceolate blades that measure 5-9 × 2.5-4 cm in length. Bases are attenuate while apexes are acute, acuminate, or obtuse. Inflorescences are 3-15 cm in length and have glandular, viscid rachises. Bracts are lanceolate and 3-7 × 1-2 mm long. The heterostylous flowers have white corollas 17-33 mm in diameter and tubes 12.5-28 mm in length. Capsules are 7.5-8 mm long and contain are reddish brown to dark brown seeds.
Plant extracts have shown potent mosquito larvicidal activity against the larvae of Aedes aegypti
while showing no toxicity to fish
Hexane
extracts of Plumbago zeylanica have shown activity against canine distemper virus.
Plumbago
Plumbago is a genus of 10-20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort...
with a pantropical
Pantropical
In biogeography, a pantropical distribution one which covers tropical regions of all of the major continents, i.e. in Africa, in Asia and in the Americas. Examples include the plant genera Acacia and Bacopa....
distribution. Carl Linnaeus described the paleotropical
Paleotropical Kingdom
The Paleotropical Kingdom is a floristic kingdom comprising tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania , as proposed by Ronald Good and Armen Takhtajan. Its flora is characterized by about 40 endemic plant families, e.g. Nepenthaceae, Musaceae, Pandanaceae, Flagellariaceae...
P. zeylanica and neotropical P. scandens as separate species, but they are currently considered synonymous. Ceylon Leadwort is a herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
with glabrous stems that are climbing, prostrate, or erect. The leaves are petiolate or sessile and have ovate, lance-elliptic, or spatulate to oblanceolate blades that measure 5-9 × 2.5-4 cm in length. Bases are attenuate while apexes are acute, acuminate, or obtuse. Inflorescences are 3-15 cm in length and have glandular, viscid rachises. Bracts are lanceolate and 3-7 × 1-2 mm long. The heterostylous flowers have white corollas 17-33 mm in diameter and tubes 12.5-28 mm in length. Capsules are 7.5-8 mm long and contain are reddish brown to dark brown seeds.
Plant extracts have shown potent mosquito larvicidal activity against the larvae of Aedes aegypti
Aedes aegypti
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax...
while showing no toxicity to fish
Hexane
Hexane
Hexane is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C6H14; that is, an alkane with six carbon atoms.The term may refer to any of four other structural isomers with that formula, or to a mixture of them. In the IUPAC nomenclature, however, hexane is the unbranched isomer ; the other four structures...
extracts of Plumbago zeylanica have shown activity against canine distemper virus.