''Ptychopetalum'' 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 family

Olacaceae Olacaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the tropical regions of the world. , the circumscription of the family varies; some sources maintain a broad family, others split it into ...

, native to the

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

. Indigenous name for the genus include marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã, translating roughly to 'potency wood'. The species are shrubs or small trees growing to about in height. Its leaves are short- petioled, up to in length and in breadth light green on upper surface, dark brown on lower surface. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s consist of short axillary

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s of four to six flowers each. The root is strongly tough and fibrous, internally light brown with thin bark and broad wood, has a faint odor, and tastes slightly saline and acrid.

Species

*''

Ptychopetalum anceps ''Ptychopetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae, native to the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous name for the genus include marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã, translating roughly to 'potency wood'. The species are shrubs or ...

'' Oliv. *''

Ptychopetalum olacoides ''Ptychopetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae, native to the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous name for the genus include marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã, translating roughly to 'potency wood'. The species are shrubs or ...

'' Benth. *''

Ptychopetalum petiolatum ''Ptychopetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae, native to the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous name for the genus include marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã, translating roughly to 'potency wood'. The species are shrubs or ...

'' Oliv. *''

Ptychopetalum uncinatum ''Ptychopetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae, native to the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous name for the genus include marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã, translating roughly to 'potency wood'. The species are shrubs o ...

'' Anselmino

Uses

''Ptychopetalum olacoides'' has been studied for treatment of dark pigmentation around the eyes. The root and bark are used for a variety of ailments by indigenous peoples in the Rio Negro area of

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 ...

, but the effectiveness of muira puama preparations are unproven.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7257163 Olacaceae Medicinal plants Santalales genera