''Griffonia'' is a genus of
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 ...
s in the legume family,
. It belongs to the subfamily
Cercidoideae. ''Griffonia'' is known to have a high concentration of
5-HTP
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Uses
5-HTP is sold over the counter i ...
in its seeds.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by
Henri Baillon
Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895.
Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on ...
in honour of his friend and fellow physician
Marie-Théophile Griffon du Bellay, explorer of
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
, pioneer in the study of
sleeping sickness and also of the African
entheogen Iboga
''Tabernanthe iboga'' (iboga) is an evergreen rainforest shrub native to Central Africa. A member of the Apocynaceae family indigenous to Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, it is cultivated across Central Africa ...
, source of the alkaloid
ibogaine.
Species
''Griffonia'' comprises the following species:
Griffonia physocarpa
''Griffonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Cercidoideae. ''Griffonia'' is known to have a high concentration of 5-HTP in its seeds.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by Henr ...
'' Baill.
Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895.
Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on ...
* ''Griffonia simplicifolia
''Griffonia simplicifolia'' (syn. ''Bandeiraea simplicifolia'' Benth.) is a woody climbing shrub native to West Africa and Central Africa. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods.
Taxonomy and early study
The g ...
'' ( M.Vahl ex DC.
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
) Baill.
* ''Griffonia speciosa
''Griffonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Cercidoideae. ''Griffonia'' is known to have a high concentration of 5-HTP in its seeds.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by Henr ...
'' (Welw.
Friedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch (25 February 1806 – 20 October 1872) was an Austrian explorer and botanist who in Angola was the first European to describe the plant ''Welwitschia mirabilis''. His report received wide attention among the bo ...
''ex'' Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Taub.
* ''Griffonia tessmannii
''Griffonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Cercidoideae. ''Griffonia'' is known to have a high concentration of 5-HTP in its seeds.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by Henri ...
'' ( De Wild.) Compère
References
Cercidoideae
Fabaceae genera
Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon
{{Fabaceae-stub