''Brunfelsia grandiflora'' is a
flowering 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 ...
in the
nightshade family
The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orna ...
. It is native to South America. In English is known by the common names royal purple brunfelsia, kiss-me-quick,
and yesterday-today-and-tomorrow.
[Gilman, E. F]
''Brunfelsia grandiflora''.
Document FPS77. Shrubs Fact Sheets. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida, IFAS. Published 1999. Revised 2007. In Peru it is known by the Spanish-
Quechua name ''chiricsanango''.
This shrub grows up to 10 feet tall by 8 feet wide. It has a dense foliage of alternately arranged leaves each up to 12 inches long. The fragrant flowers are white or shades of purple. They bloom nearly year-round.
[
In its native range it is used in traditional medicine to treat fever, ]rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...
, syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
, and arthritis
Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
. It is sometimes used as one of the active plant additives contributing to the hallucinogenic effects of the South American drink ayahuasca. In laboratory tests, extracts of the plant were active against the protozoa
Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
that cause leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most freq ...
, especially ''Leishmania major
''Leishmania major'' is a species of parasite found in the genus ''Leishmania'', and is associated with the disease zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (also known as Aleppo boil, Baghdad boil, Bay sore, Biskra button, Chiclero ulcer, Delhi boil, Ka ...
''.[Fuchino, H., et al. (2008)]
A new leishmanicidal saponin from ''Brunfelsia grandiflora''.
''Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin'' 56(1), 93-96.
''Brunfelsia grandiflora'' is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant, such as for landscape design.[
]
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q289244
grandiflora
Flora of Bolivia
Flora of Brazil
Flora of Colombia
Flora of Ecuador
Flora of Peru
Flora of Venezuela