''Chiranthodendron'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Malvaceae. It comprises a single species of tree, ''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon''.

Names

The tree is called the devil's, monkey's or Mexican hand tree or the hand-flower in English, the árbol de las manitas (''tree of little hands'') in Spanish, and mācpalxōchitlEmory Dean Keoke, Kay Marie Porterfield, ''Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World'' (2002), page 118: "For lower abdominal pain, the patient would be prescribed ''macpalxochitl'' (''Chiranthodendron'')" ('' palm flower'') in

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

, all on account of its distinctive red flowers, which resemble open human

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...

s. The scientific name means "five-fingered hand-flower tree".

Description

This species is native to Guatemala and southern Mexico. On the wet slopes of these areas, trees may reach in height. The unusual appearance of the 'hands' has stimulated cultivation in gardens around the world, primarily in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

where it grows well near its native range. The leaves are large and shallowly lobed, with a brown indumentum on the underside. The distinctive flowers appear in late spring and early summer; the five stamens are long, curved upward, and bright red, giving the distinct impression of a clawed hand. Its fruit is a long oblong, five-lobed capsule which contains black seeds. It was originally described from a single cultivated specimen grown in Toluca in the Toluca Valley, well outside the native range. The

Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

revered the tree. File:Chiranthodendron pentadactylon kz1.jpg, Bark File:Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Monkey-hand pods (9906043734).jpg, Pods File:Chiranthodendron pentadactylon kz4.jpg, Leaves

Intergeneric hybrid

It is closely related to ''

Fremontodendron ''Fremontodendron'', with the common names fremontia and flannelbush or flannel bush, is a genus of three known species of shrubs native to the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. Taxonomy They are within the botanical family Malv ...

'', sufficiently to produce an

intergeneric hybrid In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in ...

×''Chiranthofremontia lenzii'' n, which has yellow flowers and a reduced form of the claw.

Uses

The Aztecs and others have used

solution Solution may refer to: * Solution (chemistry), a mixture where one substance is dissolved in another * Solution (equation), in mathematics ** Numerical solution, in numerical analysis, approximate solutions within specified error bounds * Soluti ...

s containing the tree's flowers as a remedy for lower abdominal pain and for heart problems.Journal of Ethnobiology, published by the Center for Western Studies (Flagstaff, Arizona), volume 3 (1983): "Flor de manita" (''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon'' Larr.), a highly prized and effective heart remedy, is available fresh during the winter months.Nina L. Etkin, ''Eating on the Wild Side: The Pharmacologic, Ecologic and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens'' (2000), page 26: The Aztec also used the blossoms of the hand-flower tree (''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon'') as a blood or heart tonic. ..water-based solutions of the flowers reduce edema and serum cholesterol levels (Jiu 1966). he tree...also acts as a diuretic (due to the glycosides quercetin and luteolin) and, when ingested regularly as a decocted beverage, is most likely effective in treating cardiopulmonary insufficiency (Logan 1981). Such solutions also reduce

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...

and serum cholesterol levels and, because they contain the glycosides quercetin and luteolin, act as diuretics.

References

Malvaceae info page

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5766708, from2=Q138333 Bombacoideae Malvaceae genera Monotypic Malvales genera Flora of Mexico Flora of Guatemala Ornamental trees Garden plants of North America