''Abuta'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

family

Menispermaceae Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek ''mene'' 'crescent moon' and ''sperma'' 'seed') is a family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the 'tube curare' form ...

, of about 32 species, native to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Description

It consists in

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

climbers or rarely erect

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s or

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s (''

Abuta concolor ''Abuta'' is a genus in the flowering plant family Menispermaceae, of about 32 species, native to tropical Central America, Central and South America. Description It consists in dioecious vine, climbers or rarely erect trees or shrubs (''Abuta ...

'') with simple

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s in composed

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s. Male flowers:

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s 6, in 2

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s absent,

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s 6, connate or free, introrse,

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s with a longitudinal or transverse dehiscence. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male,

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

s 6,

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s 3,

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

s ovoid,

endocarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Agg ...

woody,

condyle A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in
endosperm The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the embryo and ...

ruminate,

embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...

curved,

cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...

s appressed. It is in the tropical rain forest.

Taxonomy

''Abuta'' is usually classified in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Anomospermeae Miers, together with '' Anomospermum'' Miers.

Synonymy

The genera ''Anelasma'' Miers and ''Batschia''

Thunb. Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus. After studying under Linnaeus at Uppsala Un ...

have been brought into

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with ''Abuta''.

Uses

''Abuta'' is one of the components of the arrow poison

curare Curare ( /kʊˈrɑːri/ or /kjʊˈrɑːri/; ''koo-rah-ree'' or ''kyoo-rah-ree'') is a common name for various alkaloid arrow poisons originating from plant extracts. Used as a paralyzing agent by indigenous peoples in Central and South ...

of some indigenous tribes of South America (especially '' Abuta imene'' from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

). Roots of '' Abuta rufescens'' are used as medicinal in diseases of the urogenital tract, but it is dangerous. The

dichloromethane Dichloromethane (DCM or methylene chloride, methylene bichloride) is an organochlorine compound with the formula . This colorless, volatile liquid with a chloroform-like, sweet odour is widely used as a solvent. Although it is not miscible with ...

extracts of '' Abuta grandifolia'' and '' Minthostachys setosa'' (

Labiatae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

) demonstrated high

larvicidal A larvicide (alternatively larvacide) is an insecticide that is specifically targeted against the larval life stage of an insect. Their most common use is against mosquitoes. Larvicides may be contact poisons, stomach poisons, growth regulators, o ...

activity against ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...

'', the most active being the dichloromethane extract of ''A. grandifolia''.

Selected species

*'' Abuta acutifolia'' Miers *''

Abuta amara ''Aristolochia amara'' is a species of plant in the family Aristolochiaceae The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The ...

'' Aubl. *'' Abuta antioquiana'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta aristeguietae'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta barbata'' Miers *'' Abuta boliviana'' Rusby *'' Abuta brevifolia'' Krukoff & Moldenke *'' Abuta brunnescens'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta bullata'' Moldenke *'' Abuta candicans'' Rich. ex DC. *'' Abuta candollei'' Triana & Planch. *'' Abuta chiapasensis'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta chocoensis'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta colombiana'' Moldenke *''

'' Poepp. & Endl. *'' Abuta convexa'' Diels *'' Abuta duckei'' Diels *'' Abuta dwyerana'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta ecuadoriensis'' Moldenke *'' Abuta fluminum'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta froesii'' Krukoff & Moldenke *'' Abuta grandifolia'' (Mart.) Sandwith *'' Abuta grisebachii'' Triana & Planch. *'' Abuta guianensis'' Eichler *'' Abuta heterophylla'' Miers *'' Abuta imene'' Eichler *'' Abuta klugii'' Moldenke ex Macbride *'' Abuta limaciifolia'' Diels *'' Abuta longa'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta macrocarpa'' Moldenke *'' Abuta macrophylla'' Miers *'' Abuta manausensis'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta mycetandra'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta negroensis'' Krukoff & Moldenke *'' Abuta oblonga'' Miers *'' Abuta oblongifolia'' Miers *'' Abuta obovata'' Diels *'' Abuta pahni'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta panamensis'' (Standl.) Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta panurensis'' Eichler *'' Abuta parvifolia'' Rusby ex Moldenke *'' Abuta platyphylla'' Mart. ex Eichler *'' Abuta pullei'' Diels *'' Abuta racemosa'' Triana & Planch. *'' Abuta rufescens'' Aubl. * *'' Abuta sadwithiana'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta scandens'' DC. *'' Abuta seemanni'' Triana & Planch. *''

Abuta selloana ''Abuta'' is a genus in the flowering plant family Menispermaceae, of about 32 species, native to tropical Central and South America. Description It consists in dioecious climbers or rarely erect trees or shrubs ('' Abuta concolor'') with s ...

'' Eichler *'' Abuta solimoesensis'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta soukupi'' Moldenke *'' Abuta spicata'' Triana & Planch. *'' Abuta splendida'' Krukoff & Moldenke *'' Abuta steyermarkii'' (Standl.) Standl. *'' Abuta tomentosa'' Sagot ex Benth. *'' Abuta toxifera'' Baill. ex Krukoff & Moldenke *'' Abuta trinervis'' (Rusby) Moldenke *'' Abuta umbellata'' Sagot ex Benth. *'' Abuta vaupesensis'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta velutina'' Gleason *'' Abuta verruculosa'' Krukoff & Barneby *'' Abuta wilson-brownei'' R.S.Cowan

References

External links

Images of ''Abuta panamensis'' from La Flora Digital de La Selva, Costa Rica
Menispermaceae genera Neotropical realm flora Menispermaceae Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Christian Fusée-Aublet {{Ranunculales-stub