Hymenocardia acida

Hymenocardia acida is a plant of the family Phyllanthaceae native to tropical Africa. It is a small tree that grows to 10 m tall.[1][2] Occurs in the Guinea and Sudanian savannah zones and deciduous woodland, from Senegal eastwards to Ethiopia and southwards reaching Zimbabwe.[3][4]

Hymenocardia acida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Hymenocardia
Species:
H. acida
Binomial name
Hymenocardia acida

Description

A dioecious and deciduous species,[3] the trunk is often short up to 30 cm in diameter, while the bark is commonly smooth, pale brown to grey in color, flakes off to reveal a powdery reddish to orange inner bark. The leaves are alternate, simple in arrangement with stipules that are up to 3 mm long; leaf-blade is elliptic to oblong in outline up to 9.5 cm long and 5 cm wide, and a coriaceous surface with golden to orange scales beneath.[3] Male flowers are reddish to yellow in color, and appears in axillary clusters of spikes up to 9 cm long. Female flower are green and in a terminal raceme. [3]

Chemistry

The Cyclopeptide alkaloid, hymenocardine has been isolated from the stem bark extract of the tree.[5] Leaf extracts identified the presence of the chemical compound lupeol.[5]

Uses

In traditional medical practice, some communities use leaf and root extracts as part of a regimen to treat malaria, inflammatory related ailments and pain, and various extracts of the plant is used to aid the healing process from skin ailments.[5]

References
  1. "African flowering plants database: Hymenocardia acida Tul". Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. "Hymenocardia acida - Species Information". The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  3. Medicinal plants. G. H. Schmelzer, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, PROTA Foundation, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation. Wageningen: PROTA Foundation. 2008. p. 341. ISBN 978-90-5782-204-9. OCLC 297222192.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "Hymenocardia acida Tul. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  5. Tuenter, Emmy; Exarchou, Vassiliki; Baldé, Aliou; Cos, Paul; Maes, Louis; Apers, Sandra; Pieters, Luc (2016-07-22). "Cyclopeptide Alkaloids from Hymenocardia acida". Journal of Natural Products. 79 (7): 1746–1751. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00131. hdl:10067/1350300151162165141. ISSN 0163-3864. PMID 27351950.


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