Cryptolepis decidua

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Cryptolepis decidua
A botanical illustration of Cryptolepis decidua (published using the synonymous name Curroria decidua).[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Cryptolepis
Species:
C. decidua
Binomial name
Cryptolepis decidua
Synonyms[2]
  • Curroria decidua Planch. ex Benth.

Cryptolepis decidua is a species of plant in the Apocynaceae family. It is native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.[3][4] George Bentham,[5] the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its falling (deciduus in Latin) leaves that leave behind overlapping persistent petiole bases.[6][7]

Description

It is a shrub reaching 1.5 meters in height.

sepals that are 2.5 millimeters long with pointed tips. The 5 petals are fused at their base to form a 2.5 millimeter-long, bell-shaped tube. The lance-shaped, hairless lobes of the petals are 7.6 millimeters long. The flowers have a ring-like structure between the petals and its stamen called a corona. Its corona have 5 thread-like, lobes that are 3.8–5.1 millimeters long and attached half-way up the petal tubes. Its stamen have tapering anthers that arch over the stigma. The styles of the pistils are shorter than the anthers and have cone-shaped tops.[6][9]

Reproductive biology

The pollen of Cryptolepis decidua is shed as permanent tetrads.[10]

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing at elevations up to 2000 meters.[8]

Uses

Its roots have been reported as being used as a traditional medicine in Namibia and extracts from its tissues have been shown to have immunomodulatory activity in laboratory tests with isolated human blood cells.[11] It has also been included in lists of South African poisonous plants.[12]

References

  1. ^ Engler, A.; Drude, O. (1910). Die Vegetation der Erde :Sammlung pflanzengeographischer Monographien, V. IX Die Pflanzenwelt Afrikas insbesondere seiner erenen Gebiete Grundzüge der Pflanzenverbreitung in Afrika und die Charakterpflanzen Afrikas [The vegetation of the earth: collection of plant-geographical monographs, V. IX The flora of Africa, in particular its older areas, basic features of the plant distribution in Africa and the characteristic plants of Africa]. Leipzig: W. Engelman.
  2. ^ "Cryptolepis decidua (Planch. ex Hook. fil. & Benth.) N. E. Br". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Cryptolepis decidua (Planch. ex Benth.) N.E.Br". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "Cryptolepis decidua (Planch. ex Benth.) N.E. Br". Tropicos. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. n.d. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  5. ^ "George Bentham". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hooker, J.D.; Bentham, George (1849). Niger Flora; or, an Enumeration of the Plants of Western Tropical Africa. London: Hippolyte Bailliere. p. 457.
  7. ISBN 9780881926279
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 1-919795-99-5
    .
  9. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.42
    .
  10. OCLC 638720409
    . Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  11. hdl:11070/3018
    .
  12. JSTOR 4117678
    .
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