''Paullinia'' is a genus of 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 ...

s, small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s in the soapberry family,

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

, native to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. The genus is named after the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

medical

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Christian Franz Paullini Christian Franz Paullini (25 February 1643 – 10 June 1712) was a German physician and theologian. Biography Paullini was born in Eisenach to a family of merchants and scholars. His parents wanted him to become a priest and his initial educatio ...

, who discovered the genus in the Caribbean in the 18th century. ;Selected species *''

Paullinia alata ''Paullinia'' is a genus of Flowering plant, flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the Sapindus, soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to Tropics, tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the Ger ...

'' *''

Paullinia cupana Guaraná ( from the Portuguese ''guaraná'' ), ''Paullinia cupana'', syns. ''P. crysan, P. sorbilis'') is a climbing plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guaraná has large leaves and cl ...

'' Kunth - Guaraná (

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

) *''

Paullinia cururu ''Paullinia'' is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the German medical botanist Christian Fr ...

'' *''

Paullinia fuscescens ''Paullinia'' is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the German medical botanist Christian ...

'' *''

Paullinia navicularis ''Paullinia navicularis'' is a species of plant in the family Sapindaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, ...

Radlk. Ludwig Adolph Timotheus Radlkofer (19 December 1829, in Munich – 16 February 1927, in Munich), was a Bavarian taxonomist and botanist. Radlkofer became a physician in 1854 and earned a PhD in botany at Jena the following year. He became an asso ...

(

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

) *''

Paullinia paullinioides ''Paullinia paullinioides'' is a flowering plant species in the genus of ''Paullinia'' found in South America. It was first described in 1895, by Ludwig Adolph Timotheus Radlkofer. Description ''Paullinia paullinioides'' is a tropical liana. I ...

'' *''

Paullinia pinnata ''Paullinia pinnata'' is a flowering plant species in the genus of ''Paullinia'' found in South America and Africa. The long flexible stems of ''P. pinnata'' are used to poison fish in shallow pools, as described by the English naturalist Henry ...

'' *''

Paullinia plumieri ''Paullinia'' is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the German medical botanist Christian ...

'' *''

Paullinia weinmannifolia ''Paullinia'' is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the German medical botanist Christian ...

'' *''

Paullinia yoco ''Paullinia'' is a genus of flowering shrubs, small trees and lianas in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native to tropical South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The genus is named after the German medical botanist Christian ...

'' - Yoco

Uses

Several uses are recorded. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

of several species are edible, with '' P. cupana'' (Guaraná) being the most popular. Other species, notably '' P. yoco'' (Yoco), are used as

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

for various treatments. The

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

of some species, notably '' P. cururu'' is highly

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

, and is used as an

arrow poison Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons se ...

by Native American tribes in

. Similarly, the long flexible stems of ''

'' are used to poison fish in shallow pools, as described by the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates in his book '' The Naturalist on the River Amazons''.Bates, H. W. (1864). ''The naturalist on the River Amazons, a record of adventures, habits of animals, sketches of Brazilian and Indian life and aspects of nature under the Equator during eleven years of travel''. London: J. Murray. Second edition. (Reprinted in paperback facsimile, Elibron Classics, 2005.) Page 242.

References

Sapindaceae genera {{Sapindales-stub