''Adenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the passionflower family Passifloraceae. It is distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics.''Adenia''.
Flora of China. The center of diversity, centers of diversity are in Madagascar, eastern and western tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia. The genus name ''Adenia'' comes from "aden", reported as the Arabic name for the plant by Peter Forsskål, the author of the genus.

Description

All ''Adenia'' are perennial plants, but there are many different forms, including herbs, vines, shrubs, and trees. Many are succulent plant, succulents and some are pachycauls. Some have fibrous root systems and some have tubers. ''Adenia'' can be found in a wide variety of habitat types, from dry African deserts to wet Southeast Asian rainforests. There are about 100 species in the genus. ''Adenia'' have alternately arranged leaves borne on petiole (botany), petioles. There are two glands located near the attachment of the leaf blade to the petiole. Most species are dioecy, dioecious. Inflorescences of a few to many flowers occur in the leaf axils. There is a Stipe (botany), stipe below the flower. The calyx (botany), calyx has five lobes and the five petals are usually smaller than the sepals and may be whitish or greenish. The male flower has five stamens. In the female flower these are reduced to staminodes. There are three gynoecium, styles tipped with stigmas that may be long-hairy to very woolly. The fruit is a red capsule. Each black seed has a fleshy aril. ''Adenia'' species can be difficult to identify and distinguish as individuals of a species can be variable. One plant can have leaves of varying shapes and sizes, and young and old specimens can have different leaf types. Some taxa are poorly represented in herbarium collections, leaving few examples to compare with new specimens. Records of some taxa lack descriptions of both (i.e. male and female) flower types. Many species only flower for a few weeks, and during this time they may also lose their leaves. Succulent plants can be difficult to properly collect and preserve.

Cytology

The chromosome count of ''Adenia'' is 2n = 24 or 2n = 48.Melo, N. F. D., & Guerra, M. (2021)
"The karyotype of ''Adenia'' and the origin of the base number x= 12 in Passifloroideae (Passifloraceae)."
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 93.

Uses

Several species are used in traditional African medicine. Various parts of ''A. cissampeloides'' are used to treat many conditions, including gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, pain, fever, malaria, leprosy, scabies, cholera, anemia, bronchitis, sexually transmitted diseases, menorrhagia, and mental illness.Grace, O. M. and D. Fowler. 2007
''Adenia cissampeloides'' (Planch. ex Hook.) Harms.
In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/''Plantes médicinales'' 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. It is used both as an abortifacient and to prevent miscarriage. ''A. dinklagei'' leaves are ingested to treat palpitations. The leaves of ''A. tricostata'' are used to treat fever. The leaves or leaf sap of ''A. bequaertii'' are taken to treat headache, mental illness, and Demonic possession, possession. ''A. lobata'' stems are applied to sites of Dracunculiasis, Guinea worm infection during extraction of the worm. It is also used as an enema and an aphrodisiac.Zimudzi, C. 2007
''Adenia lobata'' (Jacq.) Engl.
In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/''Plantes médicinales'' 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. ''A. cissampeloides'' is used as a Fish toxins, fish poison and arrow poison. The red-colored sap is used as a cosmetic. The stems can be made into rope. The crushed twigs or smoke from burning roots can be used to Bee smoker, calm honeybees during honey harvest. The leaves of ''A. cissampeloides'' are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Africa. ''A. digitata'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its very large, distinctive aboveground tuber.de Ruijter, A. 2007
''Adenia digitata'' (Harv.) Engl.
In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/''Plantes médicinales'' 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.

Toxicity

Many ''Adenia'' are poisonous. They contain lectins such as lanceolin, stenodactylin, and volkensin, which are toxic to cells. They cause apoptosis, hemagglutination, inhibition of protein synthesis, and depurination of ribosomes and DNA. Mouse experiments with small doses of lanceolin and stenodactylin, from ''A. lanceolata'' and ''A. stenodactyla'', respectively, revealed that they are "amongst the most potent toxins of plant origin". The fruit of ''A. digitata'' has been used in Africa to commit homicide and suicide.

Species

The following is a list of all 106 species in this genus that are accepted by Plants of the World Online * ''Adenia aculeata'' * ''Adenia acuta'' * ''Adenia adenifera'' * ''Adenia angulosa'' * ''Adenia antongilliana'' * ''Adenia ballyi'' * ''Adenia banaensis'' * ''Adenia barthelatii'' * ''Adenia bequaertii'' * ''Adenia boivinii'' * ''Adenia cardiophylla'' * ''Adenia cissampeloides'' * ''Adenia cladosepala'' * ''Adenia cordifolia'' * ''Adenia crassa'' * ''Adenia cynanchifolia'' * ''Adenia densiflora'' * ''Adenia digitata'' * ''Adenia dinklagei'' * ''Adenia dolichosiphon'' * ''Adenia ecirrosa'' * ''Adenia elegans'' * ''Adenia ellenbeckii'' * ''Adenia epigea'' * ''Adenia erecta'' * ''Adenia fasciculata'' * ''Adenia fernandesiana'' * ''Adenia firingalavensis'' * ''Adenia fruticosa'' * ''Adenia gedoensis'' * ''Adenia glauca'' * ''Adenia globosa'' * ''Adenia goetzei'' * ''Adenia gracilis'' * ''Adenia guineensis'' * ''Adenia gummifera'' * ''Adenia hastata'' * ''Adenia heterophylla'' * ''Adenia hondala'' * ''Adenia huillensis'' * ''Adenia inermis'' * ''Adenia isaloensis'' * ''Adenia karibaensis'' * ''Adenia keramanthus'' * ''Adenia kigogoensis'' * ''Adenia kinabaluensis'' * ''Adenia kirkii'' * ''Adenia lanceolata'' * ''Adenia lapiazicola'' * ''Adenia latipetala'' * ''Adenia letouzeyi'' * ''Adenia lewallei'' * ''Adenia lindiensis'' * ''Adenia litoralis'' * ''Adenia lobata'' * ''Adenia longistipulata'' * ''Adenia macrophylla'' * ''Adenia malangeana'' * ''Adenia mannii'' * ''Adenia mcdadiana'' * ''Adenia metamorpha'' * ''Adenia metriosiphon'' * ''Adenia monadelpha'' * ''Adenia mossambicensis'' * ''Adenia natalensis'' * ''Adenia olaboensis'' * ''Adenia ovata'' * ''Adenia pachyphylla'' * ''Adenia panduriformis'' * ''Adenia pechuelii'' * ''Adenia peltata'' * ''Adenia penangiana'' * ''Adenia perrieri'' * ''Adenia pierrei'' * ''Adenia pinnatisecta'' * ''Adenia poggei'' * ''Adenia poilanei'' * ''Adenia pulchra'' * ''Adenia pyromorpha'' * ''Adenia racemosa'' * ''Adenia refracta'' * ''Adenia repanda'' * ''Adenia reticulata'' * ''Adenia rumicifolia'' * ''Adenia schliebenii'' * ''Adenia schweinfurthii'' * ''Adenia sphaerocarpa'' * ''Adenia spinosa'' * ''Adenia staudtii'' * ''Adenia stenodactyla'' * ''Adenia stolzii'' * ''Adenia stricta'' * ''Adenia stylosa'' * ''Adenia subsessilifolia'' * ''Adenia tisserantii'' * ''Adenia tricostata'' * ''Adenia trilobata'' * ''Adenia trisecta'' * ''Adenia tuberifera'' * ''Adenia venenata'' * ''Adenia viridiflora'' * ''Adenia volkensii'' * ''Adenia welwitschii'' * ''Adenia wightiana'' * ''Adenia wilmsii'' * ''Adenia zambesiensis''

Description

Cytology

Uses

Toxicity

Species

References

Further reading