''Ancistrocladus'' is a genus of woody lianas in the monotypic family ''Ancistrocladaceae''. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. They are found in the tropics of the Old World.

Classification

The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots. Recent molecular and biochemical evidence (see th
AP-Website
suggests the carnivorous taxa in the order Caryophyllales (the families

Droseraceae Droseraceae is a family (biology), family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three Extant taxon, extant genera. Representatives of the Droseraceae are found on all conti ...

and

Nepenthaceae ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mos ...

and the species ''

Drosophyllum lusitanicum ''Drosophyllum'' ( , rarely ) is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species ''Drosophyllum lusitanicum'', commonly known as Portuguese sundew or dewy pine. In appearance, it is similar to the related genus ''Drosera'' (the sund ...

'' and ''

Triphyophyllum peltatum ''Triphyophyllum'' is a monotypic plant genus, containing the single species ''Triphyophyllum peltatum'' of the family Dioncophyllaceae. It is native to tropical western Africa, in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia, growing in tropical fores ...

'') all belong to the same

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

. This family Ancistrocladaceae would belong to this same clade, although the plants in the family are not carnivorous. A close relationship between this family and the family Dioncophyllaceae (containing the carnivorous species ''T. peltatum'') is supported by similar

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

and petiole structure. The Cronquist system, 1981, placed the family in the order Violales (together with Dioncophyllaceae). The Takhtajan system placed the family in its own order Ancistrocladales.

Description

The only genus in the family Ancistrocladaceae is ''Ancistrocladus'', a little-known genus of about 20 species. These are palaeotropical, climbing, twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests. The sparingly branched, sympodial

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

is complex and can exceed 10 cm in diameter. It is along one side attached to the tree with grapnels (short, hooked lateral thorns, formed from modified stem apices), opposite to the leaves. Their

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 ...

are borne in dense, evergreen rosettes. They are entire, have short petioles and lack stipules. They have a single wax-secreting trichome in the epidermal pits and glands on the abaxial surface. The flowers are small with a basally connate

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

, that are imbricate or rolled up lengthwise. The fruit is a nut with often wing-like accrescent sepals.

Distribution

The species of ''Ancistrocladus'' are native to tropical Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.

Medicinal potential

Scientific interest in this genus has grown considerably because the canopy

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

''Ancistrocladus korupensis'' is considered a potential anti-

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

source by the National Cancer Institute because of its highly effective mode of action against HIV. This plant was discovered in Cameroon and subsequently recognized as a species new to science. Its ingredient

michellamine Michellamines are a group of atropisomeric alkaloid which have been found to be HIV viral replication inhibitors '' in vitro''. It was discovered in the leaves of ''Ancistrocladus korupensis''. There are three michellamines represented as A, B, a ...

B, an acetogenic napthyl isoquinoline alkaloid, contained in mature leaves, is the active principle. Also, korupensamine E is a new antimalarial drug extracted from the same plant. ''Ancistrocladus abbreviatus'' has been used on traditional medicine in Ghana, as treatment against

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

and fever. The active ingredient is ancistrobrevine D, an alkaloid extracted from this plant. Ancistrocline, an alkaloid derived from ''A. tectorius'', is used against dysentery. Many other alkaloids are still being found in the other species.

Species

Species accepted as of July 2014:Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> # '' Ancistrocladus abbreviatus'' Airy Shaw - western Africa # '' Ancistrocladus attenuatus'' Dyer - West Bengal, Myanmar, Andaman Islands # '' Ancistrocladus barteri'' Scott-Elliot - western Africa # '' Ancistrocladus benomensis'' Rischer & G.Bringmann - Pahang # '' Ancistrocladus congolensis'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre # ''

Ancistrocladus ealaensis ''Ancistrocladus'' is a genus of woody lianas in the monotypic family ''Ancistrocladaceae''. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. They are found in the tropics of the Old World. Classification The APG ...

'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre, Central African Republic # '' Ancistrocladus grandiflorus'' Cheek - Cameroon # '' Ancistrocladus griffithii'' Planch. - Indochina, Andaman Islands # '' Ancistrocladus guineensis'' Oliv. - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon # ''

Ancistrocladus hamatus ''Ancistrocladus'' is a genus of woody lianas in the monotypic family ''Ancistrocladaceae''. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. They are found in the tropics of the Old World. Classification The APG ...

'' (Vahl) Gilg - Sri Lanka # ''

Ancistrocladus heyneanus ''Ancistrocladus heyneanus'' or Kardal is a liana endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-m ...

'' Wall. ex J.Graham - southwestern India # '' Ancistrocladus ileboensis'' Heubl, Mudogo & G.Bringmann - Congo-Brazzaville # ''

Ancistrocladus korupensis ''Ancistrocladus korupensis'' is a species of liana endemic to southwestern Cameroon and the neighbouring regions of Nigeria. The type locality is Korup National Park. The plant was identified as new to science in 1993 after pharmacologically i ...

'' D.W.Thomas & Gereau - Nigeria, Cameroon # '' Ancistrocladus letestui'' Pellegr. - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre, Central African Republic # '' Ancistrocladus likoko'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Zaïre # '' Ancistrocladus pachyrrhachis '' Warb. - Liberia # '' Ancistrocladus robertsoniorum'' J.Léonard - Kenya # '' Ancistrocladus tanzaniensis'' Cheek & Frim. - Tanzania # ''

Ancistrocladus tectorius ''Ancistrocladus tectorius'' is a species in the monogeneric family Ancistrocladaceae found in China (Hainan), Cambodia, India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Vietnamese n ...

'' (Lour.) Merr. - Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Hainan, Borneo, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam # '' Ancistrocladus uncinatus'' Hutch. & Dalziel - Nigeria # ''

Ancistrocladus wallichii ''Ancistrocladus'' is a genus of woody lianas in the monotypic family ''Ancistrocladaceae''. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. They are found in the tropics of the Old World. Classification The APG ...

'' Planch. - Assam, Bangladesh, Andaman Islands

References

anti-AIDS source
*Cheek, M. (2000a). A synoptic revision of ''Ancistrocladus'' (Ancistrocladaceae) in Africa, with a new species from western Cameroon. Kew Bulletin

External links

Ancistrocladaceae
in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).
The families of flowering plants
descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.'' Version: 30 May 2006. http://delta-intkey.com
NCBI Taxonomy Browser
{{Taxonbar, from=Q131294 Caryophyllales genera Ancistrocladaceae