Anchietea pyrifolia
Anchietea pyrifolia
Anchietea (Anchietea pyrifolia (Mart.) G.Don) is an arboreal species belonging to the Violaceae family.
Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, Kingdom Plantae, Magnoliophyta Division, Magnoliopsida Class, Malpighiales Order, Violaceae Family and therefore to the Anchietea Genus and to the A. pyrifolia Species.
The term is synonymous:
– Anchietea salutaris A.St.-Hil .;
– Noissetia pyrifolia Mart.
Etymology –
Anchietea genus dedicated to the Spanish-Portuguese physician José de Anchieta (or Anchietta, 1534-1597), naturalist and missionary in the state of Espirito Santo in Brazil
The specific epithet pyrifolia comes from the union of the Greek term πῦρ, πῠρός pyr, pyrós fuoco (for the conical shape of the fruits of this genus) and from folium leaf; therefore with leaves similar to those of the genus Pyrus.
Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Anchietea pyrifolia is a plant native to an area between Bolivia, Brazil and the north of Argentina.
Description –
Anchietea is a plant in the form of a liana or a reclining shrub.
The leaves are oblong lanceolate.
The flowers are unisexual or bisexual, gathered in racemes or axillary bundles.
The corolla takes on variable colors from white to orange, strongly cheekbone, with the lower petals longer than the others and differentiated.
The fruits are very thin-walled capsules, similar to the bladder.
Inside there are several circular shaped seeds, highly flattened.
Cultivation –
Anchietea pyrifolia is a plant that is mostly spontaneous and present in its natural state in a vast territory of northern Latin America.
Uses and Traditions –
Anchietea pyrifolia is characterized by the characteristic of its flowers in which the front petal is strongly asymmetrical, which represents a rare case of a species with enantiomorphic flowers pollinated by Lepidoptera.
In addition, male flowers release, on tactile stimulation, a viscous substance that acts as a mechanism for collecting pollen useful for pollinating insects.
As for the uses, Anchietea pyrifolia is used for its leaves and roots in traditional Brazilian medicine, although there is no data available in the literature to demonstrate its efficacy and safety.
For this reason, studies are still underway to ascertain its use and its effects.
Prolonged use of this plant appears to reduce the renal elimination of sodium, potassium and chloride.
Significant acute hypotension occurred at higher doses but without affecting blood pressure levels.
Furthermore, its cardiovascular effects seem to be correlated with the activation of the potassium / calcium ratio.
Method of Preparation –
On Anchietea pyrifolia there are still few studies and researches to be able to concretely evaluate its use in the pharmacological field.
Guido Bissanti
Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Tips and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for information purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; therefore, no responsibility is accepted for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.