''Ryania speciosa'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of plant in the family

Salicaceae The Salicaceae is the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') included the willows, poplar, aspen, and cottonwoods. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly ...

. The species is significant partly because the ryanoid insecticides are derived from, and have the same

mode of action A mode of action (MoA) describes a functional or anatomical change, resulting from the exposure of a living organism to a substance. In comparison, a mechanism of action (MOA) describes such changes at the molecular level. A mode of action is impor ...

as the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

ryanodine Ryanodine is a poisonous diterpenoid found in the South American plant ''Ryania speciosa'' (Salicaceae). It was originally used as an insecticide. The compound has extremely high affinity to the open-form ryanodine receptor, a group of calcium cha ...

, which was originally extracted from this South American plant, which is also used as a

piscicide A piscicide is a chemical substance which is poisonous to fish. The primary use for piscicides is to eliminate a dominant species of fish in a body of water, as the first step in attempting to populate the body of water with a different fish. They ...

.USDA Phytochemistry
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Varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

The

Catalogue of Life The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic I ...

lists these varieties: * ''R. s.'' var. ''bicolor'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''chocoensis'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''minor'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''mutisii'' (extinct) * ''R. s.'' var. ''panamensis'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''stipularis'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''subuliflora'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''tomentella'' * ''R. s.'' var. ''tomentosa''

References

M. Vahl, 1797 ''In: Eclog. Am. 1: 51, t. 9 (1796) 797' World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World
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External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3934213 Salicaceae Flora of Brazil