Vismia baccifera
| 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 (L.) Triana & Planch.
| |
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.[1]
Description
[edit]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.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]Vismia baccifera was first described by Carl Linnaeus as Hypericum bacciferum in 1771,[3] but was moved into the genus Vismia by botanists José Jerónimo Triana and Jules Émile Planchon in 1863.[1] There are two accepted subspecies of V. baccifera:[1]
- Vismia baccifera subsp. baccifera (nominate subspecies)
- Vismia baccifera subsp. dealbata (Kunth) Ewan
Chemistry and uses
[edit]The leaves of Vismia baccifera contain various flavonoids, including epicatechin and quercetin.[4] 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.[5] V. baccifera is used in traditional medicine in parts of the Amazon rainforest as treatment for inflammations like uterine hemorrhage and leishmaniasis.[6] 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.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Vismia baccifera (L.) Triana & Planch.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Triana & Planchon 1862, p. 301.
- ^ "Hypericum bacciferum L.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Trepiana, Ruiz-Larrea & Ruiz-Sanz 2018, p. 14.
- ^ Rojas et al. 2010, p. 699.
- ^ Trepiana, Ruiz-Larrea & Ruiz-Sanz 2018, p. 2.
- ^ "Una planta amazonica podria tener capacidad antitumoral" [An Amazonian plant could have anti-tumor capacity]. Debate (in Spanish). 30 September 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
Bibliography
[edit]- Rojas, Janne; Buitrago, Alexis; Rojas, Luis; Morales, Antonio (2010). "Essential Oil Composition and Antibacteral Activity of Vismia baccifera Fruits Collected from Mérida, Venezuela". Natural Product Communications. 6 (5).
- Trepiana, Jenifer; Ruiz-Larrea, M.; Ruiz-Sanz, Jose (2018). "Unraveling the in vitro antitumor activity of Vismia baccifera against HepG2: role of hydrogen peroxide" (PDF). Heliyon. 4 (6): e00675. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00675. PMC 6039853. PMID 30003166.
- Triana, J.; Planchon, J.E. (1862). "Prodromus Florae Novo-Granatensis". Annales des sciences naturelles. Botanique. 4 (18).