''Gardenia erubescens'' is a shrub or small tree species with edible fruits that occurs in the

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

and Sudan savannah vegetation of West and Central Africa. It is within the

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

family.

Description

A shrub or small tree, the species grows to 3 meters in height. Leaves are opposite, grows on the end of short branches and grouped in tufts, when dry, the foliage have a purple greyish color on the upper surface which becomes a little duller beneath, both sides are

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

. Stipules are 2–4 mm long, leaf-blade is broadly obovate. Inflorescence; flowers are solitary or in small clusters, calyx is tubular consisting of 6 linear lobes, corolla, also is in a tubular form, consisting of about 6 elliptic lobes. Fruit has an ellipsoid or ovoid shape, it is yellowish in color when ripe, about 3–8 cm long.

Distribution

Commonly occurs in woodland savannas in West African countries of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

, Nigeria, and eastwards towards Central Africa.

Chemistry

Test on plant extracts identified the presence of the compounds

beta-sitosterol β-sitosterol (beta-sitosterol) is one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol. It is a white, waxy powder with a characteristic odor, and is one of the components of the food additive E499 ...

oleanolic acid Oleanolic acid or oleanic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid related to betulinic acid. It is widely distributed in food and plants where it exists as a free acid or as an aglycone of triterpenoid saponins. Natural occurre ...

ursolic acid Ursolic acid (sometimes referred to as urson, prunol, malol, or 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid), is a pentacyclic triterpenoid identified in the epicuticular waxes of apples as early as 1920 and widely found in the peels of fruits, as well ...

and a group of methylated

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

s that includes 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone and

triterpenoids Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...

Uses

In parts of Northern Nigeria, a decoction of the species is used to treat a variety of health issues including gonorrhea,

ascites Ascites is the abnormal build-up of fluid in the abdomen. Technically, it is more than 25 ml of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, although volumes greater than one liter may occur. Symptoms may include increased abdominal size, increased weight, ab ...

and loss of appetite, extracts are also used as an aphrodisiac and stimulant. Its edible fruit are consumed by locals.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1494088 Flora of West Tropical Africa erubescens