''Paullinia'' is a genus of

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

shrubs, 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 lianas in the

soapberry Soapberry is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Plants in the genus ''Sapindus'', native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and the New World. The berries of these plants contain a natural, low-sudsing de ...

family, Sapindaceae, 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 sout ...

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 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 **Ge ...

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

botanist

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''

Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850), also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist. He is known for being one of the first to study and categorise plants from the American continents, ...

- Guaraná ( Amazon Basin) *'' Paullinia cururu'' *'' Paullinia fuscescens'' *'' Paullinia navicularis'' Radlk. (

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: ' ...

) *'' Paullinia paullinioides'' *''

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 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 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 separ ...

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 subs ...

, 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 Henry Walter Bates (8 February 1825, in Leicester – 16 February 1892, in London) was an English naturalist and explorer who gave the first scientific account of mimicry in animals. He was most famous for his expedition to the rainforests of ...

in his book ''

The Naturalist on the River Amazons ''The Naturalist on the River Amazons'', subtitled ''A Record of the Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature under the Equator, during Eleven Years of Travel'', is an 1863 book by the Britis ...

''.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