''Zanthoxylum asiaticum'' is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. Under its synonym ''Toddalia asiatica'', it was the only species in the monotypic genus ''Toddalia'', now included in '' Zanthoxylum''. It is known by the English name orange climber.

Description

This is a

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 ...

with woody, corky,

thorn Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...

y stems that climb on trees, reaching up to 10 m in length. It has shiny green citrus-scented leaves, yellow-green flowers, and orange fruits about half a cm wide that taste like orange peel. The seeds are dispersed by birds and monkeys that eat the fruits. In particular, the

scaly-breasted munia The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia (''Lonchura punctulata''), known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus ''Lonchura'', it was formally desc ...

prefers to nest in these trees.

Distribution

It is native to many countries in Africa and Asia. Examples include South Africa where in Afrikaans it is called ''ranklemoentjie'', and in Venda, ''gwambadzi''.PlantZAfrica.com
/ref> It is very popular among the Kikuyus of Central Kenya, where it is known as ''mururue'', Mauritius, where it is known as patte poule or properly .Kamau, Loice Njeri and Peter Mathiu Mbaabu and James Mucunu Mbaria and Peter Karuri Gathumbi and Stephen Gitahi Kiama (2016).
Ethnobotanical survey and threats to medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of human diseases in Nyeri County, Kenya
, p. 11. Leakey, L. S. B. (1977). ''The Southern Kikuyu before 1903'', v. III, p. 1340. London and New York: Academic Press.

Habitat

It grows in forested riparian habitat with high rainfall. The destruction of forest habitat in Africa threatens the species' survival.Nabwami, J., et al. (2007)
Characterization of the natural habitat of ''Toddalia asiatica'' in the Lake Victoria basin: soil characteristics and seedling establishment.
African Crop Science Conference Proceedings Volume 8.

Fossil record

Fossil seeds assigned to ''Toddalia'' (now included in ''Zanthoxylum'') have been described as ''Toddalia nanlinensis'' from the Miocene of Nanlin Formation in Longchuan Basin, Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The fossil seeds are boat-shaped with tegmen that is composed of thin-walled cells with fine criss-crossed spiral lignifications.

Medicinal uses

The plant is used medicinally by many African peoples, including the

Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...

, who use it for malaria, cough, and

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

. The roots contain coumarins that have

antiplasmodial ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a verteb ...

activity. Extracts of the plant have demonstrated antiviral activity against

H1N1 influenza In virology, influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) is a subtype of influenza A virus. Major outbreaks of H1N1 strains in humans include the Spanish flu, the 1977 Russian flu pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It is an orthomyxovirus ...

in the laboratory.Lu, S. Y., et al. (2005). Identification of antiviral activity of ''Toddalia asiatica'' against influenza type A virus. ''Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi.'' 30:13 998-1001. The harvest of this slow-growing plant from the wild for medicinal use may cause its populations to decline. Protocols for domestication or propagation of the tree are being researched.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15930630 asiaticum Plants used in traditional African medicine Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus