''Myrianthus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 nettle family (

Urticaceae The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus ''Urtica''. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and useful plants, including nettles in the genus ''Urtica'', ramie (''Boehmeri ...

). They are mainly found in

Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the tropi ...

. They are mostly tropical trees, shrubs, or lianas. Leaves are simple and pinnately veined or with a palmate structure. It is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with separate male and female plants. The leaves of ''

Myrianthus arboreus ''Myrianthus arboreus'', the giant yellow mulberry or monkey fruit, is a dioecious tropical tree in the genus '' Myrianthus''. It lives in the tropical Central African countries of Central African Republic, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Tanzania ...

'' are an important food source in the

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

and

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

s of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

where the plant is known locally as ''ujuju''. The fruits are also edible.

Species

Although 13 species have been described, there are only four are accepted species: *''

'' *''

Myrianthus holstii ''Myrianthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae). They are mainly found in Tropical Africa. They are mostly tropical trees, shrubs, or lianas. Leaves are simple and pinnately veined or with a palmate structure. It ...

'' *''

Myrianthus preussii ''Myrianthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae). They are mainly found in Tropical Africa. They are mostly tropical trees, shrubs, or lianas. Leaves are simple and pinnately veined or with a palmate structure. It ...

'' *'' Myrianthus serratus''

References

External links

* Leaf vegetables Fruits originating in Africa Urticaceae Urticaceae genera Dioecious plants {{Urticaceae-stub